Independent Newcastle mayoral candidate Ross Kerridge says he and his team had exceeded their expectations in their bid to loosen Labor's stranglehold on the council.
At the close of counting on Saturday night, the mayoral race was on a knife edge with Labor's Nuatali Nelmes 32.28 per cent and Dr Kerridge on 33.04 per cent.
It also appears likely that at least Dr Kerridge and Ward Three candidate Mark Brooker will secure seats on the council.
"I think we have really shaken the arrogance of the current Labor Council incumbents," he said on Sunday.
"Until two weeks ago they thought I was a silly old old man shouting at clouds and they didn't realise that there was a whole lot of people in the community who were concerned, angry and frustrated about what's been going on in Newcastle."
Dr Kerridge, a former Labor life member, said he had been humbled by the support of his team and the wider community.
"The crowd that we gathered around us, the atmosphere, it's been really humbling," he said.
"People with a real desire to reinvigorate a sense of community involvement both formal and informal."
Likewise, Cr Nelmes thanked her supporters for standing by her during a campaign that will be remembered for vicious social media attacks and Labor Party disunity.
"I'm so grateful for all the support and kindness so many people have given us," she said.
"With the results yet to determine an outcome I'm very pleased that we will retain a progressive council. Newcastle has transformed as a city under Labor's leadership."
She again singled out a series of personal attacks against her as the low point of the campaign.
"The negativity and personal attacks that I have been the victim of during this campaign reflect poorly on the integrity of the perpetrators," she said.
"I'm very proud of our achievements and Labor's unprecedented investment of $1 billion in public infrastructure, laying the foundation for a vibrant, inclusive, and thriving community."
Labor's Declan Clausen, Paige Johnson, Elizabeth Adamczyk and Deahnna Richardson are all ahead. Labor also leads strongly in ward three, where Ms Nelmes is the lead candidate, and if she is elected as lord mayor, Peta Winney-Baartz will be pulled up into the top spot and re-elected.
The Greens are a looking likely to have councillors in wards one, two and three with Charlotte McCabe, Joel Pringle and Sinead Francis-Coan.
The Greens did not preference in the Lord Mayoral ballot, however, the personal preferences of Greens voters are likely to be critical to the outcome of the mayoral race.
"We think the optional preferential system is good for democracy. We generally don't tell people to just vote for us and nobody else," Charlotte McCabe, who had 16.74 per cent of the Lord Mayoral vote at the close of counting said.
She agreed that Ross Kerridge had done extraordinarily well.
"I thought he would do well for Lord Mayor but over the pre poll week I realised that movement was much bigger than I had expected," she said.
"(The mayoral ballot) is too close to call and it's going to make a really big difference to the chamber. Everyone is waiting with bated breath, including me."
