It was only a week ago that Cr Morse appeared a long shot to be returned to council following a disappointing primary vote at the September 8 election.

And even after securing the ninth and final spot on council, Cr Morse told the Western Advocate as recently as Tuesday that she would not be running for mayor, preferring to consolidate her position for the next 12 months.

But that all changed following a rush of phone calls late on Tuesday that hatched a plan to install Cr Morse as mayor with Ian North as her deputy.

Cr Bobby Bourke was the driving force behind the deal and they also secured the votes of Cr Graeme Hanger and Cr Jess Jennings to make it a reality. That’s how the votes fell, with Cr Morse defeating Cr Greg Westman 5-4 to become the first female mayor of Bathurst Regional Council.

Cr North defeated Cr Warren Aubin by the same 5-4 split in the deputy mayoral vote.

Following the vote, a delighted Cr Morse said she hoped last night’s vote would usher in a more co-operative era for council.

“I think it’s very good that we will have a team that will work together,” Cr Morse said.

“We need to form a good team on this new council, and it’s good that we have some new people and also some experience on there.”

Cr Morse said she was looking forward to working with her new deputy for the next 12 months.

“Ian North has a great amount of energy and passion for the Bathurst community,” she said.

“We have different interests and different constituencies, and I think that will be a good thing.”

Cr Bourke also welcomed the change.

“It’s good that we’ve had a change in leadership – it will be good for Bathurst,” he said. “I hope both of them work hard together to get good results.”