"I love the job," Cr Piper said yesterday.

"I believe in the role of mayor so strongly that I'd like to do one more term, but that would be the extent of it."

Cr Piper, an independent, has held the dual roles of Lake Macquarie MP and mayor since he was elected to the State Parliament in March last year.

When elected mayor in 2004, he intended to run for two terms, he said.

But winning a state seat led him to think hard about running for mayor again.

"I took my time making a decision because there were a lot of things to weigh up," Cr Piper said.

"I considered the logistics of doing both jobs, family issues and whether I could do justice to both positions."

If elected, he would hold the mayor's position for another four years.

Cr Piper said there were benefits for the community in him doing both jobs.

"They do cross over quite well; there are a lot of shared issues," he said.

Holding both positions gave him deeper insight and perspective and a better audience with decision-makers.

"I'm very proud of the performance of Lake Macquarie City Council," he said.

"I've had a lot of support to run again from across the board; that includes community groups, business and pensioners."

Cr Piper said Labor Party criticism that he could not do both jobs was invalid because many ALP politicians held two jobs as ministers and local members.

He cited Sydney MP and Mayor Clover Moore as proof it could be done.