And now comes the time for the region's nine councillors to put the divisions of the past few weeks behind them and start doing the job they have been elected to do - representing the people of Bathurst.

Plenty of commentary in the past couple of days has focused on the skills Bobby Bourke does not have as he takes the region's top job, but not enough attention has been given to the skills he does possess.

First and foremost, Cr Bourke has great experience on council.

As deputy mayor Ian North said on Wednesday, between them the city's new leadership team has 32 years of council experience, and neither could have lasted that long in local government without picking up some skills along the way.

This pair, in the past, has been a formidable force for good, including co-ordinating thousands of ties to "tie up Mount Panorama" to raise awareness of prostate cancer and organising truckloads of donated items for the flood-stricken folk of Toowoomba in Queensland.

It's exciting to see what they can achieve now they're on the same side again.

Cr Bourke is also closer to the community than any of his colleagues.

He is not an accomplished public speaker [and he will concede as much] but he is a man of the people, a battler's friend.

He listens to the concerns of people who feel they have no other voice in the city and he raises those concerns in council.

His work with the community op shop puts him in contact with some of the most needy in our society and he is someone who tries to help them without judging.

And it is no coincidence that his group topped the last council poll, more than doubling the primary vote of every other ticket except those led by Graeme Hanger and Warren Aubin.

Cr Bourke will not be a visionary mayor and he will not strike a bright new path for the region. But nor will he be the first to fit that description.

But he will work hard and the test for him will be to recognise his own shortcomings and be able to inspire and empower others in his team - either councillors or council staff - to fill those gaps.

If he can do that successfully, then there is no reason why a popular councillor cannot prove to be a popular mayor for the next 12 months - and maybe longer.