Bob Martin, a retired engineer who has lived in Nelson Bay for 13 years and a keen observer of council politics, says he would like to see more transparency, more action and less 'baseless rhetoric' from candidates vying for election on September 4.

"We want councillors that actually listen to their constituents, and who can provide details when making broad statements such as 'we have listened to the community'," he said.

His comments on accountability and transparency were backed up by the Tomaree Residents & Ratepayers Association (TRRA).

"We have always considered that candidates should make known their positions on key issues and plans in the lead up to a council election and we believe that the upcoming 'Meet the Candidates' forum is one means of ensuring the accountability of each of our elected representatives," publicity officer Geoff Washington said.

As they have done in previous local government elections, TRRA will be offering all candidates an opportunity to inform the community of their platforms and promises at the 'meet' session to be held on Monday, August 16, from 7 pm at the Nelson Bay Bowling Club.

"This meeting will be open to all members of the public and there will be an opportunity to ask questions from the floor. These sessions assist voters in making an informed decision at the ballot box," Mr Washington said.

Mr Martin used the example of the proposed Special Rate Variation - where a majority of councillors voted to increase the rate by 7.5 per cent per year for seven years before it was dismissed by the independent body IPART - was just one example where a portion of councillors failed to listen to their ratepayers.

"More recently we had the situation with the implementation of smart meters in the Nelson Bay town centre. We still don't know the circumstances behind why the time restrictions were changed to 7am-7pm seven days a week. These changes were done despite strong objections by local businesses and some residents."

Mr Martin said that he also hoped candidates would address the serious situation of development applications (DAs) and how they are communicated to the public.

"There are many elderly residents living in Port Stephens without use of computers and internet."

He said that all candidates nominating for election should be made to show in detail what they have done for the community, as well as what they would like to do.

It remains unclear how many of the existing councillors will re-contest the 2021 elections. Meanwhile, Labor mayoral aspirant Lean Anderson has announced that she will be resigning her position of president of Business Port Stephens as of August 12, 2021, as she focuses attention on her election campaign.

"On November 23, 2017, I was proud to be elected as president of what was then Tomaree Business Chamber. I have enjoyed working with a dedicated board and team of volunteers to support business across the entire LGA," Ms Anderson said.

"Yes I will be focusing more of my time on the campaign but regardless of that I feel four years is long enough as president and I would have been stepping down as president at the November AGM. Our vice-president Robert Reeve will step up as interim president until the board fills the position."

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