In an email to the Great Lakes Advocate this afternoon she said she was 'trying to come to terms with the decision of the Government that has just been announced'.

Great Lakes, Taree and Gloucester councils to merge...story here

Great Lakes Council deemed 'fit' by IPART...story here

Following the merger announcement Local Government NSW (LGNSW) issued a press release saying:  The democratically-elected councillors unceremoniously sacked by Local Government Minister Paul Toole today have every reason to feel betrayed but the whole sector should focus on ensuring the speedy return of genuine grassroots representation.

People took to social media to express their feelings for the Ex-Mayor:

The peak body’s President Keith Rhoades said he was unsurprised at the number and nature of the sackings, given the highly politicised process to date.

 “The process itself has been one long litany of mistakes and miscalculations and dubious dealings by the Government, and it’s telling that both IPART and now the Boundaries Commission have felt compelled to disassociate themselves from the political decisions being made,” Clr Rhoades said.

 “If it wasn’t for a range of vehement campaigns by grassroots communities and the local government sector, the Baird Government would have bulldozed through an even more extensive and undemocratic reform process long ago.

 “You can’t pretend it’s not inherently political when the only councils to escape amalgamation are those that happen to fall into marginal federal electorates in the middle of an election campaign.”

 Clr Rhoades said the Government had clearly ignored the clearly stated wishes of communities, and had broken their own pledge that there would be no forced amalgamations.

 “It’s now a matter for voters, many of whom may well choose to express their anger and sense of betrayal at the ballot box at the first opportunity,” he said.

Clr Rhoades urged any former councillor or former Mayor who was democratically elected by their residents and ratepayers to keep the interests of those people to the forefront, and to work towards the re-establishment of local democracy and representation.

Clr Rhoades said the sector would continue to hold the Baird Government accountable.

“Despite the long trail of broken promises this Government must at the very least deliver the full funding support it pledged to amalgamating councils at various points during the rocky reform process.

“I’m confident that the transitional committees, Government-appointed administrators and interim general managers will do their absolute best to make the change as smooth as possible, and I urge them never to forget the importance of local democracy and representation in their roles.”