Tomaree Ratepayers and Residents Association chairman Bob Young wrote to councillors and asked them to choose a new mayor who could unite the bitterly divided council chamber.

"Our new mayor needs to be someone who can win community respect that has been significantly lost over the last two years," Mr Young wrote.

"We believe the council, split as badly as it has been, has not been focussed on policy, financial management or land planning decisions.

"A further two years of similar performance will bring the council totally into disrepute."

Cr MacKenzie, who has endorsed his deputy Bob Westbury for Tuesday's vote, described the ratepayers group as "a bunch of grubs".

"They just want to run the council with their own ideas," Cr MacKenzie said. "... but the six on my side won't take any notice of them."

He challenged the ratepayers group to run a mayoral candidate in 2012, when the job will be elected by popular vote for the first time.

"Pick out someone in 2012, put all your bullshit ideas up and I'll run against you ...," he said.

"I want the people of Port Stephens to tell me if I've been a failure, not those dickheads."

Mr Young said the group was non-political and had no interest in standing a candidate.

"We're not trying to be anything other than, as we see it, a community organisation," Mr Young said.

"We were simply saying, let's run the council like a proper team of councillors, not two divided camps."

Mr Young said he was not endorsing one faction over the other, but wanted a candidate who could bridge their differences.

A draw from the hat is likely to decide the next mayor, with numbers split at six-all.