The maverick councillor, best known for his forthright opinions and back room influence, has stunned those close to him by announcing he will nominate for the top job.

As Griffith’s third longest serving current councillor, Cr Pittavino said he would bring experience and common sense to the position.

“I’ve been on council for 13 years and I’ve served under quite a few different mayors,” he said.

“I’ve also been on a lot of the infrastructure-type committees so I have a broad knowledge of how everything works.”

Cr Pittavino, 53, nominated his campaign against anti-social behaviour and his push for a new sewerage treatment plant as among his biggest achievements in office.

And despite his reputation as a political powerbroker, Cr Pittavino said he would unite a bitterly fractured council.

“I have never once condoned councillors fighting each other and I’m a firm believer in us working as a team no matter what,” he said.

“This current council was working fine for the first two years, until Dino became mayor.”

Describing himself as a “fearless defender of the city”, Cr Pittavino said he would not be afraid to confront bureaucrats, police or council’s state government masters.

“I’ve always been the type of councillor that if something needs to be said, I say it,” he said.

“People always know where I stand on issues and as a mayor, I think I’d be in the (former mayor) Jim McGann mould.

“I want to cut waste in council and really drive efficiencies.

“It’s all too easy to jack up rates. We need to be accountable and be careful with our spending.”

Stimulating tourism has always been a hobby horse for the born-and-bred Griffith resident, and transforming Hermit’s Cave into a tourist drawcard would be on top of his to-do list.

“This is my dream idea, to make it the biggest tourist spot in the Riverina, if not NSW,” he said.

“We get more than 250,000 tourists a year here and I want them all to go up there.”

He said pushing for a private hospital would also be a priority.

Cr Pittavino said he had stayed out of the councillor ruckus in a bid to redefine himself as a leader.