Matt Bailey has been preselected to contest ward three for the Liberals in the Newcastle council election after a tight contest.
The Port Stephens councillor, who has moved to Newcastle, won 29 votes against former state Liberal candidate Thomas Triebsees, who received 26 votes.
Mr Bailey is the lone Liberal representative on Port Stephens council, having won the ward seat vacated by his wife, Jaimie Abbott.
Mr Bailey joins incumbents Jenny Barrie (ward two) and Callum Pull (ward four) as the party's preselected lead candidates.
Ward three incumbent Katrina Wark did not receive state executive endorsement.
Liberal candidates for lord mayor and ward one will be decided by the party's state executive, which meets on July 26.
Lake Macquarie's Liberal ward candidates have also been confirmed after passing a party endorsement process.
Three-term councillor Jason Pauling will recontest west ward, incumbent Jack Antcliff will run again in north ward and Matt Schultz will stand for east ward after winning pre-selection against former councillor Nick Jones who was sacked from council in February for failing to turn up to three meetings in a row.
Former Independent Lake Macquarie councillor, Rosmairi Dawson, has announced will run again after an unsuccessful tilt in 2021.
Ms Dawson will vie for mayor and for a seat in west ward. She served as a councillor from 2012 until 2016 under Greg Piper's former Independent Lake Alliance.
