Gordon Bradbery will run for lord mayor of Wollongong, saying he can bring an "ethical standard" to the position and a fresh start to making the city a "more liveable" place.
The former Church on the Mall minister has brought to an end months of speculation by revealing he will stand for Wollongong's top job when council elections return to the city on September 3.
Mr Bradbery, 60, told the Mercury the September elections offered the city an opportunity to put the shame of the council corruption scandal behind it.
"I'm putting up my hand to say we need somebody new, a new approach, somebody who's going to bring some ethics to the role," he said.
"This election is vital for the image of Wollongong and its future civic governance.
"If Wollongong wants the same old, same old, that's up to the people of Wollongong.
"But what I hear is that people want a fresh start. This is an opportunity to wipe the slate clean, to have a council that is clearly accountable to the people, not to ideologies or vested interests."
Mr Bradbery ran against Labor's Noreen Hay for the NSW seat of Wollongong in March but lost by 680 votes. He challenged the result, alleging bogus how-to-vote cards were handed out on polling day, but the case was dismissed on a technicality.
He said he had been waiting for the case to be settled before declaring his hand in the mayoral race.
Mr Bradbery said his campaign would not be "as big as Ben Hur" but people already knew what he stood for.
"I want to see Wollongong as a liveable city," he said. "The environment - physical, social, cultural - creating an ambience about the city that it's a place where people of all different backgrounds can mix and enjoy a lifestyle and also the beauty of this part of the world.
"As lord mayor you also have to go in and bat for the community, with state or federal governments.
"I believe we still need to bat for better transport, better roads, better rail infrastructure.
"We're not just a port city where you just have trucks flowing through this area to drop goods off on the wharf or pick them up. It's a place where people live and they also need to have their needs met and their lifestyles enhanced."
Mr Bradbery said it was vital that councillors did not improperly influence council staff in their duties.
"There is only one person that the councillors liaise with directly and that is the general manager," he said.
"It seems to me that these roles and foundations have got confused over time.
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