The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake’s new chief administrator Marnie Cluckie officially started her new job on Wednesday.

Cluckie replaces resigned CAO Holly Dowd, whose role was filled in the interim by Sheldon Randall.

Randall has now resumed his role as director of operations.

Town councillors have also appointed Cluckie to the board of NOTL Hydro.

The decision was made during Monday’s committee of the whole meeting.

The position on the hydro board came open after a simmering dispute between former CAO Holly Dowd and some members of council. She resigned from the town in August 2019 after working for the municipality for 35 years.

That decision came after months of backroom pressure from some councillors undermined Dowd.

Then, Coun. Stuart McCormack, who has since resigned from council, suggested Dowd was not qualified to be on the hydro board, which she had been serving on for a number of years.