Orange will go to the polls on December 4 with Ms Spalding yesterday launching her campaign for the popularly-elected leadership of Orange's local government as well as a place on the 12-member chamber.

With the catchphrase "good, better, best", Ms Spalding says if elected mayor she will encourage the community to demand a higher standard from its elected representatives.

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"Time and time again we have heard councillors take credit for decisions which they claim to be good ones, yet in many cases, with a bit more effort and thought, better outcomes could have been possible," she said.

Ms Spalding said she has been working to educate the community on what to expect from its council.

"Because the NSW government does less and less compliance, it's actually up to the community to hold councils accountable, they can only do that if they understand how to do it," she said.

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"It's been kind of a mission to explain how councils work so the community can ask questions and can feel a part of it and can trust the council. I think that's a big issue."

Ms Spalding has three major projects in her campaign with placing artwork in the Orange Botanic Gardens the first, to encourage repeat visits to the site. She would also like a practice park constructed at Glenroi, featuring basketball and netball hoops, a wall to hit balls against and the like.

Her third item is a super-sized playground.

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"The adventure playground was a big project got the community together," she said adding her idea was to further promote tourism.

"People come to Orange for food and wine now, not really for family things. I think we should try and attract families and having a massive playground would be one way of doing that."

Ms Spalding said she would also rethink the two big issues before the current council, the $25m sports stadium and the planned mountain bike park on Mount Canobolas.

"I just don't think you should put mountain bike trails through a state conservation area, I think that's really wrong," she said.

"The weeds up there ... that's actually the State government not doing its job.

"Put it through the (pine) forest up there, rethink the whole thing. Put it through then plant around the mountain bike trails."

And the sports stadium?

"I think the whole process has been really awful," she said, adding if she could have the projected reviewed, she would.

"Council has not listened to what the people have said. Whether it's now gone to far to pull back I don't know."

Prior the elections being put back to December 4, Ms Spalding was running with the Orange Residents and Ratepayers Group but she split to run independently in August.

"I became concerned that they became a political party," she said. "They've registered as a political party and I hold my independence close to my heart."

Ms Spalding also defended her sacking as general manager of Hay Shire Council in 2018 after it moved a vote of no confidence.

"I was sacked after I told the councillors that I had reported corruption.

"I reported it to ICAC and the police which I felt was my duty.

"Whistle-blowers are supposed to be protected - I wasn't a whistle-blower, I was doing what was required but you're not protected."

She later dropped a wrongful dismissal claim.

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