Pre-poll and postal votes are expected to be crucial to the race for Newcastle’s next lord mayor.
Independent Ross Kerridge ended Saturday night’s vote counting in the local government election just ahead of 10-year Labor lord mayor Nuatali Nelmes.
Voting resumes this morning, but postal votes are being accepted until Friday of next week.
It’s understood that postal votes may trend towards Dr Kerridge and a good proportion, but not all, of pre-poll votes are expected to go his way.
After Saturday’s votes, Lake Macquarie Labor mayoral candidate Adam Schultz and Maitland independent Philip Penfold romped home .
In Port Stephens, Labor’s Leah Anderson is likely to prevail, but in Cessnock, Labor’s Jay Suvaal is expected to lose to independent Daniel Watton who benefited from a lack of Liberal Candidates.
Meanwhile, Newcastle has made history with the first openly transgender person elected to public office in NSW.
Voters elected Labor candidate Paige Johnson to the top councillor position in Ward 2.