Appointed late last year to great fanfare, Paul Somerville joined the council as the city’s new commercial development director.

But it was with significantly less fanfare on Wednesday that acting general manager Robert Knight announced Mr Somerville’s departure.

In a prepared statement released to the media, Mr Knight advised that the commercial development director had left his role and “...will pursue other career interests closer to his family in Victoria”.

The statement noted that James Bolton will act in the position for an interim period.

In announcing the appointment of Mr Somerville in December last year, former general manager Alan Eldridge described the new appointments to the council as “some of the best of the best”.

“To build the best regional city, you need the best people and I am confident the team we have assembled will lead Wagga into the future,” Mr Eldrige said.

Mr Somerville’s appointment coincided with a change in the council structure moving away from the traditional model of directors and departments acting independently, to a new structure with four sector managers.