The former chief executive of the SDLP is to be co-opted on to Newry, Mourne and Down District Council.
Michael Savage, who served in the party's top administrative post from January 2009 to November 2012, replaces Kevin McAteer.
Mr McAteer resigned from the SDLP in 2015 before stepping down from the council earlier this year due to ill health.
Mr Savage, a business consultant from Co Down, previously worked as a journalist and in media advertising sales.
He will represent the council's Newry city district.
"I have a strong background in local politics and I’m delighted to have been given the opportunity to step up and represent the people of our city," Mr Savage said.
"This is a critical time in our politics – the threat of Brexit will have profound consequences across the north but nowhere more than in communities that have benefited so much from a border open for trade and free movement like ours."
