Expect to see this man door-knocking the region in the lead-up to the May 18 federal election.
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Sam Romano, Orange deputy mayor and Shooters, Fishers and Farmers candidate for Calare, will be encouraging rusted-on voters to make a change in 2019.
"What I've been hearing is that people feel they are not represented, that their voices are not being heard," he said.
"It's okay to change, it's okay to vote for someone else. I will hold the government of the day to account and they will need my vote."
Mr Romano said he recognised jobs and transport as major challenges for the Lithgow region. He visited Ironfest on the weekend and said people he spoke to while in town were overwhelmingly concerned about jobs and the high cost of living.
"With manufacturing, it's difficult to compete, but there is nothing to stop us looking at growth in other areas, like tourism. I take my hat off to Ironfest - 20 years ago there would have been doubts it could ever grow into something like it has," he said.
He pledged his support for the Bells Line Expressway as a way to open access to the region from Sydney.
Mr Romano was not daunted by SFF's results in the State Election, which saw candidate Brendan May take just over 14 per cent of the Bathurst electorate's vote. Paul Toole MP won with 54 per cent of the total poll.
"The tough part is making the change. Phil Donato won by 50 votes the first time around and look how he went in the last election," he said.
"People weren't so sure, but now that's he's done the job for a term they said 'this is what we want'."
Mr Romano is an electrician who previously owned a broadacre farm at Tullamore for 10 years.
"I've got experience in a lot of areas and I know what farmers are going through, how hard it has been for them."
