Field set: two new contenders join byelection battle for Newcastle lord mayor

Time is up for City of Newcastle lord mayor hopefuls as candidate nominations close.

Six people have put their hand up for the top job, with two new faces joining the race.

Stephen O'Brien will stand as a Socialist Alliance candidate and Milton Caine as an independent.

A wheelchair-accessible taxi driver, Mr Caine describes himself as a "family man".

He said he nominated because he feels community concerns are not being addressed under council leadership.

"Leadership of any government department or council requires a person who is prepared to put the needs of others ahead of their own," Mr Caine said in a statement.

"Unfortunately, too many are involved in politics to be able to get to the point of putting themselves forward as a candidate, but they forget the reason why they are there in the first place, to serve the community with their whole heart and mind."

Mr Caine said his experience working in Christian ministry showed him serving others is the true purpose of living in a community.

If elected, Mr Caine's focus will be on a return to basics, looking after roads, parks, footpaths and garbage, working on planning to "get it right" the first time, and delivering housing to the vulnerable.

Increasing parking to assist people with disabilities is also on his priority list.

Stephen O'Brien, a "lifelong peace activist, trade unionist and socialist" is the Socialist Alliance candidate in the byelection.

A former ironworker at the steelworks for many years, Mr O'Brien retrained to work at TAFE and has undertaken aid work overseas.

In a statement, Mr O'Brien said local government is supposed to be closest to the people.

"However, our council is becoming less accessible and less democratic," he said.

Mr O'Brien said the council should not be "commercialising public assets".

"Developing then leasing public assets to a commercial operator is just another form of privatisation that will subsidise private profit at the expense of our community," he said.

"I don't support spending tens of millions of dollars on projects like the Flintstone kiosk at Foreshore Park and the proposal for a fancy, privately-operated restaurant at the Newcastle Ocean Baths," he said.

Mr O'Brien does not believe the council-owned airport should be involved with the Kongsberg missile factory project or pay its "top bureaucrats" and chief executive "corporate-style exorbitant salaries".

The pair join Greens candidate Charlotte McCabe, Labor's Declan Clausen, Liberal Jenny Barrie and independent Gavin Morris.

Nominations officially closed at midday on Wednesday.

The ballot paper draw will be held at 10am on Thursday at the Returning Officer's office at Lambton.

The final list of candidates for the City of Newcastle lord mayoral byelection will be published on the NSW Electoral Commission website in ballot paper order after the draw.

Former independent lord mayor Ross Kerridge's resignation triggered the byelection, which will be held April 18.