MAYOR Kay Fraser's retirement marks a changing of the guard for the first time in eight years at Lake Macquarie council.
It will be up to voters to decide who will take the helm of the third largest regional city in the state by population, home to more than 217,000 people across 95 communities.
Lake Macquarie council is divided into three wards, North, East and West, and residents who are enrolled to vote will elect a mayor and four councillors to represent their ward when they head to the ballot box on Saturday, September 14.
The council has faced budgeting challenges, resourcing shortages and high construction costs in the last 12 months and Cr Fraser has been critical of the state government for 'unfulfilled promises' in the past.
If elected, there are a number of issues still on the boil that candidates may turn their focus to.
The future of Myuna Bay Sport and Recreation Centre remains unclear, it has been at the centre of a battle between Lake Macquarie council and the NSW government since it closed suddenly in 2019.
On the western side of the lake, traffic issues have plagued residents at Morisset as the pace of development booms.
Upgrades to Mandalong and Gimberts roads are hoped to mitigate delays. In 2022, $76 million in joint funding was awarded to the project, with the NSW government kicking in $20 million. However, the project has been stuck in the planning phase with a report now being prepared for the community.
According to the council, more than $1.2 billion in private investment, including 4500 homes, relies on the upgrade proceeding without unnecessary delay.
Lake Macquarie generates $26.1 billion in economic output each year, accounting for 19.6 per cent of the Hunter region's contribution.
The city will face a major transition in the coming years, with Eraring Power Station set to close in the future, after the state government secured a two-year agreement with Origin Energy to continue operations until 2027.
As coal mining and coal-fired power generation declines, the city is focused on growing the knowledge and creative industries and tourism sectors.
The council has been making efforts to position itself as the state's adventure tourism capital, signing off on a number of big projects including a $95 million motor sport resort on a disused mining site at Wakefield.
As always, roads, rates and rubbish are high on voters' priority lists.
'Not just the wealthy few': Greens mayoral candidate Bryce Ham
I'm a team lead and project manager at a local software company, and an active and committed volunteer in our local area.
I'm running because the current way our council is run is not delivering the things our community needs.
Since January, I've been knocking on doors across Lake Macquarie, and what I've heard is clear: there's a significant disconnect between the community and our current council. Can you name any of the people who represent you?
People are increasingly worried about infrastructure not keeping up with development and a broken planning system that gives residents very little say.
A lack of investment in the public infrastructure we need has led to unsafe roads, traffic congestion, and insufficient public parkland and services.
Private developers should be paying their fair share to ensure our infrastructure keeps pace with growth.
We're lucky to have an incredible natural environment here in Lake Macquarie, and locals consistently tell me they want it properly protected.
It's time for real representation. We need leaders who listen to the everyday concerns of residents, not just the interests of wealthy developers and political donors. The power to shape our community should rest with ordinary people like you and I.
The Greens don't take corporate donations, so when I'm on council, you can trust that I'll be fighting for you, not special interests. Together, we can build a community that works for everyone, not just the wealthy few.
'A back to business approach': Liberal mayoral candidate Melody Harding
I am a local, born and raised in Lake Macquarie and live in New Lambton Heights.
Having raised a daughter and now blessed with two beautiful grandchildren, I am aware of the many challenges local families are going through.
The cost-of-living crisis has many families and small businesses near a breaking point with rising prices every which way we turn, from power to petrol prices, from food to insurance.
I am acutely aware of the challenges facing ratepayers, with rising costs stretching small business and family budgets to the edge and the council needs to prioritise using rates for ratepayers' needs.
Under Labor's control, Lake Macquarie council has lost focus of the core responsibilities of local government: roads, rates, and rubbish.
As an educator and small business owner I have the experience to get the council delivering value for ratepayers, supporting jobs growth and helping local small businesses and households.
The council needs to take a back-to-basics approach and prioritise using rates for ratepayers' needs instead of adding to the ratepayers' burden.
Decades of experience in the education sector have given me strong interpersonal skills and an organisational edge that will help to operate a council that is focused on the needs of ratepayers - not the council itself.
I enjoy an active lifestyle, getting out and about around our beautiful region and have always recognised the importance of physical activity and sport for the mental and physical health for adults and children.
I am an active supporter of local soccer and AFL clubs.
If elected, I am committed to standing up for the hardworking residents who want better council services and an end to ceaseless rate rises.
My Liberal team will bring the council's focus back to rates, roads and rubbish coupled with improved efficiency and productivity.
We believe in the empowerment of the individual, their initiative, individuality, and acceptance of responsibility.
The future of Lake Macquarie relies on us making the right decisions today.
'Ready to hit the ground running': Labor mayoral candidate Adam Shultz
Adam Shultz has served as a Labor councillor on Lake Macquarie City Council for the past eight years and as deputy mayor of Lake Macquarie.
Adam is a born and bred local having grown up in Warners Bay. Adam and his wife are now raising their three young children in Lake Macquarie.
Adam is the only mayoral candidate who has the capacity to hit the ground running as mayor of Lake Macquarie. He has the experience, energy and skills to be mayor and will work hard to ensure the continued success of residents and businesses in Lake Macquarie.
Adam's priorities as mayor include continuing to invest in and improve our local playgrounds, parks, recreational facilities and public open spaces; encouraging businesses to set up in Lake Macquarie so that residents can live, work and play here and getting the most out of the lake and our beaches by continuing to invest in public infrastructure improvements surrounding our world-renowned wonderful natural assets.
Adam intends to host a Housing Forum with key stakeholders to obtain advice on how Lake Macquarie differentiates itself from other local government areas in terms of housing affordability.
Adam works in financial services and has done so for many years. He is well qualified for the position of mayor, having an extensive tertiary education consisting of a Masters of Public Policy, Bachelor Degrees in Commerce and Business, a Graduate Diploma in Corporate Governance and Risk Management, a Diploma of Financial Services and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.
'We need to break free of bureaucracy': Our Local Community mayoral candidate John Gilbert
I have previously served as a councillor from 2016 to 2021 in the East Ward of Lake Macquarie.
I worked hard and achieved some great outcomes, but was frustrated by bureaucratic road blocks in many areas.
Power has to be returned to the elected representatives, the ones who the voters elect to represent them.
I have lived in Lake Macquarie my entire life and raised my family here, knowing that this is the best place in the world is motivation enough to try and keep it that way.
But we have issues.
Unfinished projects by council that have left public areas screened off and out of action for the past three years, slow housing building and alteration approvals, red tape for business and many councillors who were missing from their posts during the current three-year term.
Housing affordability needs to be at the critical end of the list for action.
Council (local government) is at the coal face of housing, with most fees and process being in council's control.
We can also effect radical initiatives to make housing stock be developed at a local government level and sold at cost price to low income families to enable them to get into housing ownership.
The same with lower cost rental home development and partnerships with community housing providers for the development of more social and affordable housing.
Local government can see this as a real potential, partnering with a currently willing state government, searching for housing initiatives.
We need to break free of bureaucracy and think outside the square, and forget big party politics.
'A voice for the forgotten': Independent lord mayor candidate Rosmairi Dawson
Over the last two terms, Lake Macquarie City Council has focused primarily on projects in northern areas of the city while large areas of the city's south, west and east have been neglected, missing out on their fair share of the pie.
The city failed to include any projects of substance for areas south of Rathmines in West Ward within the 2024-25 operational and delivery plan.
Similar problems have beset the eastern area of the city with little planned for delivery in the coming financial year.
Worse still, our community is forced to wait exorbitant amounts of time for the council to spend the developer contributions it receives, money collected specifically to support the exponential growth in population and resulting burden on existing infrastructure from multiple development approvals.
Our developer contribution plans outlining the timing of this delivery were updated in 2021.
Sadly, this document included very few changes to the original plans I was a part of adopting when last on council in 2012, shattering the high hopes from back then that we might finally see some of our areas' needs met.
When planning documents are put in place, we as a council must be accountable for their timely delivery.
It's for these reasons that I feel compelled to run for mayor, to be the voice for these large but "forgotten" areas of the lake.
If elected, I will work with my colleagues in council to advocate for the projects our large and diverse community needs.
'A leader who cares': Lake Mac Independents mayoral candidate Cr Kate Warner
Lake Macquarie is a special place not just because of its natural wonders, but because of its amazing people who call this place home.
The people of Lake Macquarie deserve a leader who cares about them and is committed to doing the job full-time.
I believe that the strength of our city lies in championing its diversity and inclusivity.
Should I be elected mayor, I would commit to nurturing a culture of open communication between council and the people, where every resident feels empowered to contribute and be heard.
By delivering inclusive events and facilities that cater for every age/stage/background celebrating our differences, enhancing community programs that promote creativity and a safe city free from violence, supporting local businesses, promoting environmental innovations to protect our natural assets and developing partnerships to create social and affordable housing options, we can build a more equitable and thriving city for all.
I am a collaborative leader. I believe that we are stronger when we work together.
I have a track record of doing this in my time as councillor.
I am Independent. Party politics do not belong in the council chambers, decisions should be made on individual merit alone.
I am committed. I am a Lake Mac local who has spent my entire life living, working and playing across this city.
I am passionate about the place where we live and our people.
I am real. I am reliable. I am ready to serve the people as mayor of Lake Macquarie.
