It was the Liberal Party's cunning plan to break Labor's grip on Wollongong City Council.But their decision to slash ward numbers from six to three has produced a surprise result: the likely election of the city's first Greens councillors, Jill Merrin and George Takacs."When you look at all the different councils across the state, the less wards there are, the more the council actually reflects what voters want," Ms Merrin said yesterday."So those changes here have made a huge difference."Ms Merrin is expected to become a Ward 1 councillor. Mr Takacs is the front runner in a three-way contest with independents Len Fares and Andrew Anthony for the final spot in Ward 2."Both George and I don't want to break out the champagne until we've had the final count, but we have reason to be confident," Ms Merrin said.A result will not be known until tomorrow afternoon, when a computer distributes preferences at a makeshift counting centre in Wollongong Town Hall.The process will determine the final composition of the council, including whether there will be four or five Liberal councillors.It is also expected to confirm former council staffer turned anti-corruption campaigner Vicki Curran will secure a seat in Ward 3.Ms Curran could be the only independent councillor, if Helensburgh businessman Greg Petty falls victim to a strong preference flow towards Liberal David McKenna in Ward 1. Mr Petty yesterday was still hopeful of securing a seat."I think the best thing for Wollongong will be having two independents," he said.The eventual winner will likely join Liberal councillors John Dorahy, Michelle Blicavs, Leigh Colacino and Bede Crasnich and Labor councillors Janice Kershaw, David Brown, Chris Connor and Ann Martin. All are in strong positions to win places on the council.Nearly 100 NSW Electoral Commission staff will continue counting and data entry today, ahead of tomorrow's much-anticipated preference distribution.Counts for the three wards will be undertaken after the completion of the distribution of lord mayoral preferences, which is expected to confirm Gordon Bradbery has taken out the top job.Candidates who want one will have just 24 hours to request a recount.