Returning Armidale Regional Councillors have unanimously elected Dr Ian Tiley as the Armidale mayor and Debra O'Brien as his deputy, until September 2021 when Armidale local government elections will be held.
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Dr Tiley was the most popular candidate in the 2017 elections.
The former mayor of Maclean and the Clarence Valley on the north coast, was appointed administrator of the Armidale Regional Council, following the amalgamation of Armidale Dumaresq and Guyra Shire councils in 2016.
Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock suspended Armidale Regional Council in June after a breakdown of the relationship between councillors.
Four of Armidale's 11 elected councillors have resigned since the council was suspended, including former mayor Simon Murray.
The interim administrator Viv May departed last Friday however the interim general manager John Rayner will remain at Armidale Regional Council in the dual role of financial controller and temporary adviser.
Armidale councillors were reinstated from December 12 under strict controls and expert supervision as part of a Performance Improvement Order (PIO) issued by the NSW Government.
On Monday an extraordinary meeting was held to elect a new leadership team and attended by councillors Peter Bailey, Jon Galletly, Andrew Murat, Debra O'Brien, Margaret O'Connor, Dorothy Robinson and Ian Tiley.
Mr Rayner opened the meeting and welcomed the councillors back.
"I trust you will have a very successful term in what will be a testing time, and I commit to work with you in the short period of time that I am here to make sure we can move this council along in a positive direction," he said
Following his election, Cr Tiley took the chair and thanked his colleagues saying the newly reinstated council was committed to regaining the community's trust.
"We are one team and we are united," he said.
"You confer a great honour which I will cherish. I feel very humbled.
"It is famously said that if you tell the truth long enough you will get found out eventually.
"These words ring true today here in Armidale
"The return of your local council is a victory for local democracy - a peoples victory, and I thank Minister Hancock for allowing this to happen."
Cr Tiley said council would adhere diligently to the minister's Performance Improvement Order.
"I guarantee that there will be no recriminations over the past," he said..
"But we do need to look back to the past so that we don't repeat the mistakes of the past, and so that they never happen again.
"Where I could have done better or have made mistakes I am sorry."
Following the election of Ian Tiley and Debra O'Brien vacancies on other bodies and authorities where the council is represented were filled.
The dates previously set for Ordinary Council Meetings began on February 24, 2021, however owing to the need for a council meeting in January to decide the Special Rate Variation before submission to IPART on February 8 an ordinary council meeting was scheduled for January 27 at 4 pm.
Cr Tiley also advised an extraordinary meeting would be held next week for the newly reinstated councillors to meet new senior staff, and be debriefed on council resolutions taken in their absence.