Newcastle Liberal councillor Callum Pull said rate relief would be the first action he would target if he is elected as lord mayor on September 14 and vowed to change what he described as a "combative" style of current leadership.
The first-term councillor has been confirmed as the Liberal candidate for lord mayor and Youth Council chairperson Rochelle Manning will be the party's lead nominee in ward one. They will join previously announced candidates councillor Jenny Barrie in ward two and Matt Bailey in ward three. Cr Pull will also recontest ward four.
Liberal branch member Melody Harding has also been endorsed as the candidate for Lake Macquarie mayor.
Cr Pull said the Liberal party would be pushing to have a representative elected in each Newcastle ward.
"The ground that we've made up in the last few years is nothing short of incredible," Cr Pull said.
"We went from having one councillor after the 2017 election to now three out of four Wards and now we want to push that and have a representative in every single corner of the city."
Mr Bailey, of Georgetown, is a current Port Stephens councillor, business owner and dad of two.
He said he wanted to see improved infrastructure, services and facilities across the ward, including roads, playgrounds and parks.
"Having been a Ward three ratepayer for many years, I understand the challenges our community faces," he said. "I am committed to addressing these issues by advocating for better infrastructure, more support for local businesses, and ensuring our voices are heard in the council chamber."
Ms Manning is an SES member, AFL player and rugby league referee. She said she believed Newcastle council needed more of a "youth voice".
"The way council has been going the past decade hasn't been good enough for the community," she said. "It's just made me want to put my hand up and try and make a difference."
She said she would like to see more female sporting changerooms, less paid parking and lower rates for residents in ward one.
Cr Pull said he was hoping to change the leadership approach in the council chamber.
"Cr Nelmes' signature style has been to be very, very combative and to dismiss every bit of criticism or every argument as somehow misinformation," he said.
"I represent my community and I will make my arguments in the council chamber as I expect every councillor to.
"Making sure that you're a mayor who takes all those opinions on board and puts the city first and the people of the city first and brings that real collaborative approach for the betterment of our city is really one of the main points of difference that we're offering."
Labor councillors rejected Cr Pull's description of the council leadership and said they made "no apologies" for standing up on issues and "forcefully advocating in the interests of Novocastrians".
"Callum is a first-term councillor and is very new to the council chamber," deputy lord mayor Declan Clausen said. "We have worked with him and his colleagues on important issues, seeking to improve his motions and gain consensus."
Lake Macquarie Liberal branch member Melody Harding said the council needed to focus on ratepayers as local households struggled with cost of living issues after being endorsed as the Liberal candidate for mayor ahead of the September election.
Ms Harding will not run as a lead ward candidate. The party has nominated incumbent councillors Jason Pauling (west ward) and Jack Antcliff (north ward) as well as local teacher and small business operator Matt Schult (east ward).
"Under Labor's control, Lake Macquarie council has lost focus of the core responsibilities of local government: roads, rates, and rubbish," Ms Harding said.
"It is time that council prioritises delivering value for ratepayers, supporting jobs growth and helping local small businesses and families.
Ms Harding said she had decades of experience in the education sector which had given her "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 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 ratepayer's needs," she said.
"Last year, more than 100,000 people were employed by more than 14,000 businesses in Lake Macquarie, many of them small family-owned entities.
"If elected, I am committed to standing up for the hardworking, aspirational everyday people who simply want to improve the lives for their families."
