Former state Liberal candidate Thomas Triebsees is leading a coup to unseat all three of the party's Newcastle councillors.
Mr Triebsees has nominated for preselection against incumbent Liberal councillor Jenny Barrie in ward two and will contest lord mayoral preselection in a three-way vote against Cr Barrie and Cr Callum Pull.
The winner of the party's lord mayoral ballot will take on Labor's Nuatali Nelmes in the local government elections in September.
Port Stephens councillor Matt Bailey, who has moved to live in Newcastle, will take on incumbent Liberal councillor Katrina Wark in ward three.
Former councillor Aaron Buman has nominated against sitting representative Cr Pull in ward four.
Mr Buman, an at times controversial independent when he was on council 12 years ago, nominated to contest ward one in 2021 but was not endorsed by the Liberal state executive.
Mr Triebsees, a former German army officer, ran for the state seat of Newcastle last year.
The coup attempt follows a period of unrest within Newcastle Liberal ranks that culminated in Cr Barrie calling out a culture of bullying and resigning as branch vice-president in December 2022.
In Maitland, three-term councillor Ben Whiting has announced he will run for mayor, leading a team of new Labor ward candidates.
In a changing of the guard for the party, former mayor Loretta Baker and councillors Robert Aitchison and Stephanie Fisher are leaving at the end of the term.
Cr Whiting, a special needs teacher from Ashtonfield, said it was "crucial" the council delivered services for businesses and people of all ages.
"I think it is important we don't just settle for being a commuter suburb of Newcastle or Sydney," he said.
The other Labor lead candidates are former councillor Don Ferris in ward four, businesswoman Amelia Atkinson in ward one and Women's Network Hunter secretary Race Barstow in ward two.
