The McRae Bloomfield team will be led by education consultant and Orange Daybreak Rotary member Joanne McRae and former Nick Xenophon Team candidate for Calare Rod Bloomfield.

They will be joined by taxi driver Darryl Curran, Alive Health owner Alison Bennett, former Orange Business Chamber president Tony Healey and Orange Health Professionals president Cheng Zhang.

Both Ms McRae and Ms Bennett are also involved with Orange Young Professionals.

Mr Bloomfield met Ms McRae when the two became neighbours.

“From there, we met at another function and we got talking and it came to light she was interested in running for council and it just so happened I was too,” he said.

“I think this is the strongest independent ticket ever to run for Orange City Council because it’s a really diverse group – the passion, the depth of forethought and the vision, it’s quite incredible.”

Ms McRae said transparency needed improvement on the current council and succession planning would be one of the ticket’s focuses.

“We’ve got some councillors who have been there for 20 or 30 years, at some point they decided they were ready for community leadership and it’s time we looked at the next generation of Orange leaders,” she said.

She said the team wanted to enable a healthy city by prioritising footpaths, water security, community transport and bringing neighbours together, particularly in the villages.

“It’s about acknowledging those villages and smaller communities who need to be resourced appropriately, supported and included,” she said.

Mr Curran, whose father Bob was a former councillor, said he witnessed all socioeconomic groups.

“In decision making, [lower socioeconomic groups] don’t get much of a say.”

Asked whether Ms McRae’s first position on the ticket was an effort to have more women elected to the council, the candidates said they aimed to provide a balance across a range of areas.

“I think there needs to be a balance of experience and youth and there needs to be a mix of small and big business,” Ms McRae said.

“Cheng moved to Australia when she was 17 years old and made Orange her home and she has a perspective that’s not currently represented in local government.”