The Liberal Party's "Get Clover" campaign may have succeeded in ridding lord mayor Clover Moore from state politics, but it hasn't improved its chances of snatching the seat of Sydney away from independents.

After the O'Farrell government introduced a law that forced her to choose between two jobs as Sydney lord mayor and a member of Parliament, Cr Moore put a halo over Alex Greenwich who was elected as an independent to the coveted seat in a byelection in October 2012.

Supported by the Fishers and Shooters and Christian Democratic parties, the law prevents anyone from serving as a local government councillor and an MP at the same time.

But the Coalition government has more ammunition to spend against Cr Moore in the form of its planned council amalgamations and laws to give businesses two votes each in future council elections.

Greenwich, 34, says he will fight those "undemocratic" policies and attributes his 2012 win to Cr Moore's backing and community anger over the predatory way she was ousted. The result secured the seat on a margin of 6 per cent, but a recent redistribution has reduced the margin to just 0.3 per cent. The Sydney electorate still covers Pyrmont, Paddington, Woollahra, Elizabeth Bay, Darlinghurst and Potts Point. But it no longer includes Chippendale, Centennial Park and large parts of Ultimo and Surry Hills.

"These were all areas where I did extremely well in the byelection," Mr Greenwich said.

The majority of the state seat of Sydney sits within the federal seat of Wentworth held by federal Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull.

Mr Greenwich said Sydney voters do not fit neatly into a Liberal, Labor or Greens box, even though they vote Liberal at a federal level.

"People in Sydney vote for a person, not for a political party. Clover held the seat for 24 years before me," Mr Greenwich said.

Like the Greens, Mr Greenwich wants action on climate change and extension of the container deposit scheme to include plastic bags. Like his predecessor Cr Moore, he is a strong supporter of light rail. And like Labor, he is opposed to the sale of public assets including the electricity network, the Powerhouse Museum and public housing at Millers Point.

He said the government's treatment of elderly and vulnerable public housing residents at has been "unfair and cruel".

"I am going to work hard to unwind the damage," he said.

Like the Liberal Party, he wants to promote small business and entrepreneurship, particularly in the digital start-up sector. His American mother and Russian father ran a recruitment business after moving from New Zealand to Sydney when their son was seven.

As the former head of the Australian Marriage Equality organisation, he has strongly campaigned in favour of single sex marriage. He married his German husband Victor Hoeld two years ago in Argentina.

"We met in a gay bar on Oxford Street seven years ago, the old fashioned way, before there were apps," he said.

Mr Greenwich's closest rival is Liberal candidate Patrice Pandeleos, 32, who lives in the same street as him in Kings Cross. Ms Pandeleos grew up in Tempe as the daughter of Greek parents and works as a media business strategist . She ran against former premier Kristina Keneally in the seat of Heffron in 2011.

She says she is committed to the state government's lockout laws, despite pressure from the liquor industry to reverse them. After showing signs the government would buckle, Premier Mike Baird has since ruled out changing the laws.

Ms Pandeleos supports development of a new high school in Cleveland Street, new police recruits at three Sydney stations, a cultural hub in Walsh Bay and more funding for the Opera House.

The ALP candidate for Sydney, criminal lawyer Edwina Lloyd, told Fairfax Media that being arrested on a drug charge was the best thing that ever happened to her because it turned her life around.

After her arrest for cocaine dealing, she went through a rehabilitation program and became a lawyer with a focus on people smuggling cases and human rights.

Ms Lloyd is advocating for better access to the drug court and programs for people who have drug and mental health conditions.

She says she will stand up to vested interests including property developers and the powerful alcohol lobby, to tackle Sydney's "booze culture" and associated violence.

She is also campaigning against the sale of Millers Point public housing.

NSW Greens candidate Chris Brentin is a psychologist whose community volunteer work has included helping people with HIV/AIDS and people living with a disability.

He has worked in the disability sector for more than 10 years and runs his own psychology practice.

Victor Taffa is among independents running for election. He wants the government's lockout laws abolished and a zero tolerance approach to policing.