The last time Ray Plibersek was involved in the Sutherland Shire Council, he spent seven years handling complaints from ratepayers, including allegations of improper behaviour by councillors and staff.

But on Saturday, more than three years after his office of internal ombudsman was shut down, Mr Plibersek is set to join the citywide ranks of new councillors after securing Labor's leading spot in one of Sutherland's five wards.

Forced mergers of councils across the state - and legal challenges to those amalgamations by a clutch of local governments - has dislocated the usual operation of Sydney's local democracy.

Residents of 11 councils in the greater Sydney region are set to vote on Saturday for local government representatives, but the majority of the city's councils will not go to the polls for another year.