IT'S the 'country music capital', 'Australia's answer to Nashville' and now has the only all-male council in the state.
Tamworth Regional Council has taken a step back in time, electing its first all-male local government since 1971 and standing alone as the only all-boy's club across all 128 councils in NSW.
Nine women put their hands up to represent the city, including three ungrouped candidates.
While Tamworth elected its youngest councillor and its first Greens councillor, not all of the record-breaking results have been welcomed as progress.
Newly-elected Independent candidate Brendon North said the results are "almost a tragedy".
"I can't fathom how the women who put their hand up weren't supported at all ... they were totally ignored," he said.
Mr North said he expected incumbent deputy mayor Judy Coates and Labor's Laura Hughes to receive more votes and said he was "flabbergasted" by how little support went to National Party member Heidi Williamson.
It is a far cry from the last election, when six women put their hands up to shape the city, and the public chose councillors Brooke Southwell, Helen Tickle and Judy Coates.
Then, the number of women in local government across the state had soared to 39.5 per cent, an 8.5 per cent jump on the number elected in 2016.
Local Government NSW president Cr Darriea Turley said it looks forward to working with all incoming councils.
"We continue to encourage them to engage broadly and deeply with their communities to ensure a wide range of views and perspectives are reflected in their planning and decision-making," she said.
Mrs Coates said she believes the result reflects poorly on the region, especially since Gunnedah just elected six women to its nine-person council.
"I am disappointed. I feel that the lack of representation of females, that lack of diversity, is disappointing," she said.
"If I was an outside person looking in, I'd be wondering about how progressive the region was."
Ms Hughes, who missed a spot on council by only 283 votes, had a different perspective.
"My motivation was to have a broad base of community representation, and to support Steve Mears to be re-elected, and I feel we've proved to many people that a Labor councillor will do right by them," she said.
"I'm not disappointed because what I hoped for was actually achieved.
"There is a broad base of ideological representation instead of having just one voting block, and I think they're going to work together really well."
Ms Hughes will not be exiting the political arena just yet.
The schoolteacher said she has set her sights on challenging Member for New England Barnaby Joyce in the upcoming federal election.
Tamworth's first Greens councillor Ryan Brooke said it was "definitely disappointing" to see that no women were elected.
"Although Laura Hughes was a strong prospect, we were very hopeful about Gemma," Mr Brooke said.
Social worker Gemma-Lea Tolmie was the second candidate on the Tamworth Greens' first-ever group ticket, which platformed four of the nine women who ran in the local election.
Mr Brooke is far from the only new face to be voted on to Tamworth Regional Council.
Including Mr Brooke, there are four first-time councillors and one returning councillor, making this election the second time in a row Tamworth has voted for more outsiders than incumbents.
Fairfield and Liverpool councils conducted their own elections but both look to have elected women.
Central Darling Shire Council did not participate in this election as it is under administration.
In May, the Office of Local Government and Women NSW jointly committed $160,000 to two women's organisations to host a series of candidate information workshops targeted at underrepresented groups of women.
The support was designed to encourage more women to consider running for their local council.
The Australian Local Government Women's Association NSW Branch and Women for Election delivered workshops on leadership skills, how to run a successful campaign and the roles and responsibilities of elected councillors.
