Tracey Carpenter said she would work with food producers and marketing people to promote the region as a great food and wine destination.

Cr Carpenter said this is a great opportunity for Bathurst because once people in Sydney realise what great eating and drinking the region has to offer, they will be drawn to Bathurst.

Although marketing has been poor in the past, she said council has now come on board because it realises the economic benefits of a well-marketed food and wine industry are considerable.

Cr Carpenter is also an executive member of the Local Government Association and will be working as part of the Operations and Reform Committee to have local government recognised in the constitution.

“We are trying to strengthen the link between the federal government and local government to secure our financial viability,” she said.

“As expenses go up and the state passes on more and more services for us to manage, we need those links with the feds.”

Cr Carpenter is a strong supporter of the Bathurst Rail Action group because a daily rail link is a key element in encouraging people to commute between Bathurst and Sydney.

“People need to be able to access services in the city and making Bathurst commutable is important for our future growth,” she said.

“I would also like to see a focus on Keppel Street as a unique shopping precinct, and both Monica [Morse] and I have discussed a better structure for enhancing local art and artists. There are a lot of artists and musicians living locally and not enough venues for marketing their work.”

She added that car racing would continue to be a focal point of Bathurst and she was pleased the Bathurst 1000 would be broadcast in the US.

“I am keen to make sure Bathurst’s profile is enhanced by that,” she said. “We want people in America to know where Bathurst is, not just Mount Panorama.”

Cr Carpenter is also on the Board of Skillset and as a sustainability advocate sees the opening of the Flannery Centre as really exciting for Bathurst.

She said she was very surprised to be elected Deputy Mayor and was grateful for the support of fellow councillors.

“I am appreciative of the recognition and encouragement to keep batting away, and look forward to building stronger relationships with directors, fellow councillors and the community,” she said.

“However, I do feel disappointed for [former Deputy Mayor] Ian [North].

“I have such a soft spot for him, and his passion and commitment to Bathurst.”

Cr Carpenter receives a great deal of support from her partner, Greg Wilkinson, and their three children - Ella Beth, who at 20, is at CSU studying journalism and politics like her mum, Claudia 18 and Lachlan 12.

She has lived in the Bathurst region for the past 19 years, with nine of those spent on a bush block at O’Connell.

She started her career as a cadet newspaper journalist, spent three years working for a member of parliament, reported on current affairs and news for the ABC and directed The World Around Us for Channel 7. She was also part of the first scientific expedition to the North Pole.