Gore has entered a new chapter of governance today as the southern council formally welcomed its new chief executive.
Former South Waikato District Council manager Debbie Lascelles replaces the former Gore chief executive Stephen Parry, who resigned last year after a tumultuous period at the council.
Parry spent 22 years in the role but his working relationship with the country's youngest mayor Ben Bell entered the national spotlight amid allegations of bullying and calls for heads to roll.
Lascelles was greeted today with a mihi whakatau from local rūnanga in a small ceremony in the town's library.
Gore District Council's new chief executive Debbie Lascelles is only the third person to hold the title over the past 35 years. (Source: 1News)
"It's been amazing, a beautiful welcome," she told 1News after the event.
Lascelles will become only the third person to hold the title over the past 35 years.
She held the role as executive manager for strategy and transformation at the South Waikato District Council before moving to the south. Lascelles also worked in senior roles at Hamilton City and Waipa District councils.
There were 74 applications for the top role before Lascelles was ultimately selected.
Lascelles said she is ready to hit the ground running with council business.
"We've got an annual plan that we need to land pretty quickly and then we are pretty much straight into a long term plan. So that's going to be our focus over the next couple of months."
Mayor Ben Bell told 1News Lascelles' appointment was "so exciting".
"I can't believe the day is actually here. It feels like it's been a long journey to get here."
Bell said Lascelles brings a "new fresh perspective" and added her appointment is a "fresh page" for the once beleaguered council.
"With the challenges that local government is facing I think it's time to unite as a council," he said.
"I think we've done a lot of work on ourselves as elected members and now it's just repairing the bridge and starting again, a new fresh page with the management here too."
How did we get here?
As the new chief executive begins her tenure, it is fair to say it has been a rather rocky start to this local government term for Gore.
Now 24 years old, Bell became the youngest mayor in the country's history during the 2022 local elections, defeating incumbent long-term mayor Tracy Hicks.
But his time as mayor became turbulent only weeks into the job over a "working relationship breakdown" with the council's chief executive of 22 years, Parry.
There was a public protest calling for Parry to resign, alongside calls for Bell to resign during the saga.
In the end, it saw Parry resign from the top job last September.
He continued to hold his interim role as chief executive until Lascelles arrived today.
Gore District Council also ditched an independent review into leadership woes.
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