Dr Graeme Emonson will be appointed as the chair of Moira Shire Council's panel of administrators until the 2028 local government elections. 

Dr Emonson, currently a panel member, will take over from John Tanner, who steps down this week.

John Tanner's tenure as Chairperson has been notable for several key initiatives. 

These include supporting the appointment of a permanent CEO for Moira Shire Council, developing a Memorandum of Understanding with the health and education sectors, and implementing recommendations from the Commission of Inquiry into the Council.

The panel of administrators was appointed by the state Labor government in June 2023, following the council's dismissal in March 2023. 

The Commission of Inquiry determined that the council was unable to effectively fulfil its responsibilities under the Local Government Act 2020 due to significant governance failures. 

The panel will function as the council until the October 2028 local government elections, with a mandate to restore good governance and ensure better community representation.

In 2023, Moira Shire Council was dismissed after a senior employee's murder led to an investigation revealing dysfunctional leadership. 

The inquiry report highlighted numerous failures by the council's leadership, which created an unsafe and toxic workplace. 

The investigation was triggered by the murder of Rick Devlin, the council's manager of operations, in August 2021. 

The report suggested that the murder might have been avoided if certain events had not occurred.

Andrew Robert Paterson, who pleaded guilty to murdering Mr Devlin, had been set up by co-workers and falsely accused of stealing a small quantity of kerosene in 2019. 

The unsubstantiated theft allegation deeply affected Paterson, whose request for voluntary redundancy was denied. 

The inquiry revealed governance issues spanning a decade, including mismanagement that led to infrastructure delays and cost overruns, and a significant decline in community confidence in the council.