Last week, Bathurst Regional Council resolved to make Cr North a delegate for the period between the December 4 election and the mayoral election.

He will be allowed to carry out civic and ceremonial functions of the mayoral office, but would not be a councillor or the mayor and, as such, would not be paid.

General manager, David Sherley, had recommended council take this action after receiving advice from the Office of Local Government.

"This will provide continuity for council and the community of representation from the elected body," Mr Sherley said.

Cr North became a Bathurst regional councillor in 2004 and has been re-elected at every election since.

He shares the record for longest-serving deputy mayor in Bathurst council's history, and was formally elevated to the position of mayor in July 2021 after Cr Bobby Bourke stepped down.

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While making Cr North the delegate would seem like a natural decision, not everyone seemed to support it.

Council candidate Stuart Driver proposed alternate options, specifically for the Bathurst 1000 period.

"We are all aware that there is an issue as to the arrangements for council and council's representation between election and declaring of the election result. This significantly clashes with the major event in Bathurst and the awarding of prizes for the Bathurst 1000 race," he said.

"I'd like council to seriously consider proposing to give that role to the youth mayor. It's an excellent opportunity for council to promote youth in the town and I think, in the absence of an elected mayor, that is a good result."

He also suggested that the candidate with the most votes at that time could be given the opportunity.

He later told the Western Advocate that these suggestions hadn't just come from him, but from a number of other candidates.

Neither suggestion was discussed before resolving to make Cr North a delegate.

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