Paul Amos holds lead in Coffs Harbour election count

“We’ve just got to sit it out, but it’s looking promising,” Mr Amos said.

Cr Paul Amos.

Frontrunner Paul Amos is a certainty as a councillor for Coffs Harbour City, but may have to wait until the week of Christmas to see if he unwraps the top job.

Mr Amos - popularly known as ‘Moose’ - leads the mayoral race, but the chequered flag could be as far away as December 20.

“We’ve just got to sit it out, but it’s looking promising,” Mr Amos said.

“The councillor pre-poll at Coffs Harbour has been done and that was very strong - I will be a councillor.”

The pre-poll votes for mayor haven’t yet been processed, but there’s an informed assumption they would largely mirror the individual councillor votes.

The mayoral contest will be influenced by preferences - until someone in the 10-person field gets across the line with 50 per cent of the vote, plus one.

Rodger Pryce. Photo by Brad Greenshields.

Preferences from the lowest polling candidate for mayor will be the first to be redistributed - but votes for that candidate where only a ‘number 1’ was on the paper will extinguish and not flow on.

On Thursday, Mr Amos led the mayoralty first preference tally with 7468 votes (21.98 per cent).

Also performing well were Rodger Pryce 5379 (15.83 per cent), Tegan Swan 4672 (13.75 per cent), George Cecato 3963 (11.67 per cent) and Sally Townley 3927 (11.56 per cent).

In the councillor vote - which may not be settled until December 22 - the four leaders on first preference are Mr Amos (4.88 per cent), Mr Pryce (2.73 per cent), Ms Townley (1.74 per cent) and Ms Swan (1.64 per cent).

Former Federal Member for Cowper, Luke Hartsuyker, has 0.72 per cent.

In the councillor contest, 40,187 votes had been tallied, and 35,461 in the ballot for mayor.