NEWCASTLE City councillor Nuatali Nelmes says she's the outspoken voice the city needs to stand up for its interests against a Coalition government, as she throws her hat in the ring as a potential state election candidate for Labor.
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Nominations are yet to be officially called, but Cr Nelmes joins fellow councillor Tim Crakanthorp in putting a hand up to be preselected to take on Liberal MP Tim Owen in March next year.
Cr Nelmes said "unsolicited supporters" had urged her to have a crack at preselection.
As well as serving on council, she ran fifth on Labor's Senate ticket in September's federal election and is a member of the party's national policy forum.
She lives in Merewether with her husband and three children and holds a business degree in industrial relations and marketing from the University of Newcastle.
Cr Nelmes said she wanted to stand because she was strongly against the health and education cuts the O'Farrell government had made.
"The cuts to TAFE are bad for our area and will lead to fewer skills among young people," she said.
Hard to avoid in the campaign will be the issue of Newcastle's rail line and city revitalisation.
Cr Nelmes said she supported a light rail network for the Lower Hunter, but not the government's plan to lease the port and use $340 million of the proceeds to install light rail from Wickham to Newcastle East.
Instead, she wants more connections across the existing heavy rail corridor.
"It is absurd to spend so much money on [installing] two light rail stops," she said.
Cr Crakanthorp declined to comment on Cr Nuatali's decision to nominate.
Mr Owen said he was unconcerned who he faced.
"Whoever Labor chooses isn't an issue for me - my job is to do what I was elected to do," Mr Owen said.
The ALP is not expected to call for nominations until at least next month.
It has yet to settle on a preselection process, but has opted for community preselections in some Sydney seats, where the public helps choose candidates.
However, a handful of Newcastle branches recently passed resolutions calling for a rank and file ballot. One so far has backed a community preselection.
The issue of preselection is a vexed one in the city after NSW Labor's head office used the party's national executive committee to install former MP and minister Jodi McKay because she did not have the numbers among the rank and file to secure the nomination.
It sparked a revolt among members, with many quitting in protest in 2007.
Labor assistant general secretary John Graham said yesterday that branches would be consulted about the timing and process for preselection.
