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Mayors and councillors of Armidale Dumaresq and Guyra shire councils have been sacked and an administrator appointed following Thursday's merger announcement.
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Local Government Minister Paul Toole said Ian Tiley has been appointed administrator of the newly-created Armidale Regional Council.
He replaces Armidale Dumaresq Mayor Herman Beyersdorf and Guyra Shire Mayor Hans Hietbrink and their respective councillors.
Armidale Dumaresq Council Glenn Wilcox has been appointed interim general manager of Armidale Regional Council, while Guyra Shire general manager Peter Stewart has been appointed deputy general manager.
Mr Tiley is a graduate with a doctor in philosophy from the University of New England.
Ian Tiley received his doctorate from UNE in 2012 for his thesis, Australian Local Government Amalgamations: The Case Study of Clarence Valley Council NSW.
He is a former councillor of Merriwa Shire Council in the Hunter Valley and a former member of the Member Northern Rivers Regional Development Board.
Dr Tiley has also been a shire clerk, deputy shire clerk, accountant, grazier and school bus proprietor.
"I'm looking forward to returning to Armidale in the next fortnight," Dr Tiley said upon his appointment.
Mr Toole's spokesman said mayors and councillors could express an interest in committees on which they would like to sit until council elections, tipped to be held later next year.
But successive council meetings would consist of Dr Tiley, Mr Wilcox and Mr Stewart.
Mr Wilcox said staff from both Guyra and Armidale were highly trained and dedicated towards providing the best possible outcomes for the community.
“Although change is difficult, staff from both councils work together in a number of areas including finance, human resources and IT and this transition will be much easier than a larger merger proposal,” Mr Wilcox said.
