Newcastle Ward 2 councillor Charlotte McCabe will shift to contest Ward 1 and run as the Greens candidate for lord mayor at the September council election.
The Greens have confirmed their lead candidates in each ward for the September election, with the notable exception of two-term Ward 1 councillor John Mackenzie, who won't re-contest his position.
Cr McCabe will move to fill Cr Mackenzie's role in Ward 1 and is running for lord mayor against Labor incumbent Nuatali Nelmes. Community campaigner Joel Pringle will contest Ward 2 for the Greens, Sinead Francis-Coan will run for a second time in Ward 3 and former small business owner Jackson Dunlap will vie for a seat in Ward 4.
"I live in Tighes Hill in Ward 1, so it's a good fit for me," Cr McCabe said.
"I have ongoing connections with a lot of the Ward 1 issues and community groups. Also our Ward 2 candidate lives in Ward 2, so it makes a lot of sense."
Mr Pringle has worked as an organiser on national campaigns including a major anti-ageism movement. He is a member of the Australian Services Union, and is employed as a campaigner for equitable access to renewable energy.
"It's time to bring integrity back to the City of Newcastle," he said. "I'm excited by the prospect of joining a new Green team on council to deliver the affordable, enjoyable and accessible neighbourhoods and council services that residents have been calling out for."
Ms Francis-Coan is a post-graduate in leisure and tourism studies, a delegate for the United Service Union and a member of the Hunter Workers Women's Committee. She led high profile campaigns to save the Tower Cinemas and Raise The Bar Newcastle which focused on safety in licenced venues.
Mr Dunlap previously owned the now-closed Saints Gin Bar, where he advocated for greater state government support for small businesses during the pandemic.
Cr McCabe said the party would announce its policy platform closer to the election, but listed housing, climate action and transport as issues they were looking to tackle.
The Greens doubled their representation on the council in 2021 from one to two councillors, and the party also received a 4.5 per cent swing in the federal seat of Newcastle in 2022.
Cr McCabe said the Greens had previously had four members on Newcastle council, which she hoped to emulate in September.
"I feel like what I've attempted to do as a councillor and I hope I've done well is be able to clearly demonstrate where we had a different position on issues and do that in a way that was at times strong opposition in the chamber, but also to always maintain working relationships with all of the councillors," she said.
"I feel that council has a really important role to advocate to state and federal government.
"But that always needs to be respectful whether it's disagreeing with another councillor or with a state or federal position.
"We don't need those positions and debates to become disrespectful and I really don't want to allow it to head in that direction because I don't want people to lose trust in the institution of local democracy.
"I think when people see a kind of pettiness or a negativity that is not necessary that they think it's not a professional space.
"So I definitely will be continuing to keep the debate respectful."
Cr McCabe also paid tribute to Cr Mackenzie.
"It's been a real honour and a privilege to work with him," she said. "The commitment and the dedication and the outcomes that he's achieved for the local government area, we really want to thank him for."
