Shellharbour looks likely to welcome a new mayor for the first time in almost a decade.
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Independent candidate Chris Homer is celebrating, having attracted 52.8 per cent of votes in the two-horse mayoral race.
Famed ABC election analyst Antony Green has called the contest for Mr Homer, who will not only be a new leader for Shellharbour, but a fresh face on the council altogether.
If Mr Homer does win he will unseat Marianne Saliba, who has been a councillor for a decade and held the top job since 2012.
She did not run for a seat on the council in this year's election, choosing instead to put herself forward only for mayor.
But there are still some 8100 votes left to be counted in Shellharbour, which account for about 15 per cent of registered electors in the city.
The NSW Electoral Commission will not officially declare results until next week.
There is no apparent winner in the contest for Wollongong lord mayor, with the two leading candidates still close.
Incumbent Wollongong Lord Mayor Gordon Bradbery maintains his slight lead on his nearest rival, Labor's Tania Brown, with 30.8 per cent of the first preferences counted so far to her 28.6 per cent.
Some 18 per cent of votes are still yet to be counted.
Based on the first preferences counted so far, Wollongong's ward 1 looks set to return Mithra Cox, Janice Kershaw and Cameron Walters to council (although Cr Walters represented ward 3 in the last term).
Richard Martin - number two on the Labor ticket behind Cr Kershaw - looks most likely to claim the fourth spot in ward 1.
More familiar faces are probable in ward 2, including Cath Blakey, Tania Brown and John Dorahy.
Ward 3's representatives will most probably include Labor's Ann Martin, an incumbent councillor, and Linda Campbell.
Coming up behind them, at this stage, are Gordon Bradbery and Liberal candidate Elisha Aitken.
In Shellharbour, Kellie Marsh, Colin Gow and Lou Stefanovski look most likely to take seats on the nine-person council, alongside Rob Petreski and Jacqueline Graf, who were elected unopposed in ward D.
Meanwhile, seven of Kiama's nine councillors appear almost certain: Kathy Rice, Jodi Keast, Karen Renkema-Lang, Imogen Draisma, Neil Reilly, Matt Brown, and Mark Croxford.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
