The new role meant she needed to know exactly what was happening, and that required sitting in on the regular meetings between Tripe and chief executive David Langford and doing the same with chair's briefings of main council meetings, Craig said.
"Basically, if he [Tripe] is unavailable I need to step in to fill his shoes.
"The deputy is hopefully at the same level as the mayor in terms of knowledge of what's going on."
She wanted to act as a liaison between the mayor and councillors and have the chance to offer advice when Tripe needed it.
"I'll be very honest with him at times as well, and say 'This is not a good idea, here's why'.
"I've told him I won't just sit there and say yes to everything, it's not that sort of relationship."
The senior councillors worked well as a team, Craig said.
She didn't see herself "standing above any of those people".
"I've got no concerns about anybody who has come on [to the council] either.
"I think they are all going to bring something really great and hopefully some new and diverse ways of thinking that will challenge us all."
Craig pulled in the most votes for council with 9308.
She takes over the deputy role from Jenny Duncan, who remains a council member but had been deputy mayor for two terms.
In his address during the council's first meeting this week, Tripe said Duncan had approached him some time ago to say she wouldn't continue in the role, one in which she had "authentically, capably and bravely supported the community over the previous two terms".
"Helen has the widespread and unanimous support of our community, all of our council team and our council officers," Tripe said.
"My personal backing for Helen goes back 10 years of establishing mutual trust."
Duncan said Craig was an incredibly capable choice.
"I think we've got a good council and we'll work really well together.
"I'm very optimistic about the way we will navigate through all the things we are going to confront, as a team.
"There will be some real 'curlies' chucked at us in this term, just in the three reforms alone, then there will be things we haven't even thought of."
Some big events occurred while she was the acting deputy mayor that she needed to step up for, Duncan said.
"They really help you to appreciate the role the mayor has in the community.
"Andrew, with the help of David [Langford] and senior councillors, will redesign committee structures and things like that, and that needs to be done over the following weeks.
"I'll land well. I've got no concerns about that."
