Cr Archer said she hoped the challenges councils overcame in the previous term would set a strong foundation for the region going forward.

“We’ve taken a million dollars off our bottom line in the last 12 months and that has created a sustainable financial footing to go forward,” she said.

She said economic development at Bell Bay and tourism initiatives are areas of focus for the council.

Cr Archer served as George Town mayor for the previous four years. 

She was excited to see what new councillors would add to the community.

“It’s good to have a mixture of some existing corporate knowledge and some new ideas as well,” Cr Archer said.

“I want to continue with the work that we have begun in terms of economic development.”

Cr Archer also hoped that collaborative campaigning by elected councillors wouldn’t impact on voting.

“It’s part of the model of local government that you bring unbiased sort of decision making to the table and listen to the voices in the room,” she said.

When asked about revisiting amalgamation, Cr Archer stated the issue was not going away anytime soon.

“I think there’s going to continue to be discussion about amalgamation broadly and I anticipate that there would be a conversation that may occur at our council,” she said.

Cr Archer also said that community consultation should be considered in any discussions of amalgamation in the future.

“It’s [consultation] a requirement for an amalgamation or a merger to occur but as to whether there’s a significant desire to examine the issue we’ll have to wait and see.”

After running in the State election earlier this year, Cr Archer has no plans to run for the Liberals at a federal level for Bass at the moment.

“I am focussed on the future of the George Town municipality,” she said.

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