Speaking in Labor heartland outside Glendore Public School in Maryland on Saturday afternoon, Cr Nelmes said she believed the council's record under her leadership spoke for itself.

"I've had mostly positive feedback [today], which has been nice because we've worked so hard for seven years and people have been saying they've noticed that," she said.

"From the feedback I've got today, it's the track record. People are saying 'you're doing a good job'.

"I think it's the years of delivery that I'm getting feedback on."

Labor held two of three councillor positions in Ward 4 this past term, but has gone to the election with fresh faces after Matthew Byrne resigned in August and Jason Dunn did not run again.

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Despite admitting "incumbency counts for a few percentage points", Cr Nelmes expressed little concern about potentially losing a seat in Ward 4, which takes in the western suburbs like Wallsend and Beresfield.

"Ward 4 has always been a focus," she said.

"We also have an amazing state member, Sonia [Hornery], who works out here tirelessly and makes sure council's priorities are not only in the city, but also - we've had spending in every suburb."

Cr Nelmes' main challenger for lord mayor, John Church of the Newcastle Independents alliance, said it had been difficult to gauge where the votes were heading because of the ban on how-to-vote cards.

"I've got no sense in how we're travelling and anybody who tried to call it on a day like today, with a COVID election, is really just running a hypothetical," he said.

Asked if the Newcastle Independents could break up Labor's majority, Cr Church - who is running to be a councillor for a second term in Ward 1 - said his team wasn't "taking anything for granted" and would "work hard to six o'clock" when voting closed.

"I've always had the view that we're the underdogs and that we will need a very strong voter turnout to succeed," he said.

"We will need every vote to go our way.

"Labor has harnessed a lot of preferences from the Greens and Socialist Alliance."

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