With just over 2,000 votes to go, Dungog's mayoral race is shaping up to leave the town's current mayor 'disappointed'.
One polling booth was uncounted as of Sunday September 15 and tally counts were close with Digby Rayward leading at 30.4 per cent of first preference votes, Michael Dowling at 26.2 per cent, incumbent mayor John Connors at 25.1 per cent, and Karen Drinan at 18.5 per cent.
While preferences still need to be distributed for mayor and pre-poll votes need to be tallied for councillors, Cr Connors said he did not feel very confident for either position.
"I'm surprised and disappointed but that's democracy. People vote, and, well, you live with the result," he said.
"The suggestion from other candidates that it was effectively time for a change, and a different approach, that obviously resonated with the electorate rather than the results of the past."
He said there was still a chance when vote counting resumes on Monday September 16 but results were not looking promising at the moment.
"I thought the effort I had put in over the last four and half years as mayor and the funding we secured in the last term of council for infrastructure, I thought that would relate to support but clearly it didn't," he said.
Cr Connors previously stood in the 2021 local government elections uncontested but he said it was good to see more candidate options for voters this time around.
If he does lose the job, he said he would leave with little regrets and without disappointment in what had been achieved over the last four years.
"I think I've done a good job and have left the council in a really good position financially but I think the road ahead will be very bumpy," he said.
"Funding will dry up. There will need to be a lot of work put in to ensure government funding is available," he said.
