John Lane, who was voted off the Central Otago District Council, may be back chairing the council's hearings panel before too long.
Mr Lane, who represented the Roxburgh ward for five terms, took what he described as a ''calculated gamble'' at the election and stood for the Alexandra ward, rather than his home ward.
He and long-serving councillor Terry Emmitt, of Cromwell, who was also a member of the three-man hearings panel, were unsuccessful in their bids for a sixth term on the council.
The remaining member of the panel, Martin McPherson, regained his council seat.
The new council held its first meeting this week and Crs McPherson and Neil Gillespie were appointed to the hearings panel, which deals with planning designations, reviews, objections and applications for resource consent.
Central Otago Mayor Tony Lepper said another person would also be appointed to chair the panel as neither Crs McPherson nor Gillespie were certified to be chairmen.
Mr Lepper said the person to be co-opted ''was likely to be John Lane''.
Cr McPherson has completed a ''Making Good Decisions'' programme of training and assessment for Resource Management Act decision-makers. Mr Lane and Mr Emmitt had also completed the programme, as well as the training required to chair the panel.
''We have to get Neil registered and there's the opportunity to co-opt an independent commissioner, such as Mr Lane, so that's what we'll do,'' Mr Lepper said.
The council has started the preliminary stages of reviewing its district plan and it was hoped to use Mr Lane's expertise during that process, as well.
