The general manager of the former Greater Taree City Council moved interstate with his wife Cathy this month (September) and is now the director of Corporate Services at a local council.

He said the need to move out of New South Wales to take on work in the local government system didn’t come as a surprise.

“When you have amalgamations there are limited opportunities.”

What did come as a shock was the circumstances surrounding his sudden dismissal as interim deputy general manager of MidCoast Council.

“I don’t think you ever really get over something like that.”

The news he was being made redundant came two days following the merger proclamation on May 12 and it wasn’t something he was expecting.

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“I had offered not unsubstantial experience to help run the change transition but I was told I wasn’t wanted.”

Ron has more than 20 years experience as a change manager and worked with four different councils and saw a large Brisbane council through a merger.

Mr Posselt said he felt qualified for the job.

“I offered to do it. I went to (interim general manager of MidCoast Council) Glenn Handford and said let me run the transition, I did it in Queensland.

“They said ‘get out’.”

He appealed to administrator John Turner to review the decision but “he didn’t read the documentation I gave him and reinforced that decision”.

“I think that was a missed opportunity in the transition.”

The Manning River Times became aware of Mr Posselt’s redundancy a week after it occurred and on May 23 put questions to MidCoast Council asking for confirmation.

Council responded by saying he had applied for and taken approved leave from his position as interim deputy general manager of MidCoast Council.

While that information was accurate, Mr Posselt said “I was pushed”.

He added that the majority of deputy interim general managers announced at the proclamation had lost their positions from all the merged councils.

Mt Posselt feels their roles had been changed in the announcements so they couldn’t be challenged about a breach of contract.

“It’s really a play to transfer all control.”

Mr Posselt had been at Greater Taree City Council for six and a half years, the last 18 months as general manager. He was formerly the executive leader of service delivery.

“I was brought in on the change program and restructure. At the time Paul Hogan was elected mayor.”

Mr Posselt is proud of the work achieved during his tenure and has nothing but praise for the staff he worked with in that time.

“We were all open and transparent. We had nothing to hide.

“I’ve always been a person who says how it is. It’s the only way to have an authentic dialogue with people.

“‘If you can’t fix something you tell people you can’t fix it...it’s not just spin.

“The spin from the current council is that they care about people. I don’t feel it’s the case.”

Mr Posselt said the most disappointing aspect of the merger was the failure by the State Government to listen to the views of the former councils and the community who overwhelmingly rejected the merger proposal and that local State member Stephen Bromhead failed to support the community or the former councils.

In responding to questions from the Manning River Times in relation to the circumstances surrounding Mr Posselt’s dismissal, MidCoast Council’s interim general manager Glenn Handford said the amalgamation has had a huge emotional impact on a lot of people. 

“We are all trying to focus on the future and are working hard with our community to integrate and streamline processes as quickly as we can,” he said.

Council administrator John Turner did not respond to questions.