Mr Bartley, a former councillor on the defunct Dubbo City Council, based his view on predictions of which candidates were favourites to win in the five wards in the DRC election on Saturday.

“Far from Wellington being left at the altar with only two councillors out of 10, they might actually be the power brokers of the new council,” he said.

His predictions for winners in Dubbo’s four wards see four candidates from or linked to the Ben Shields team taking seats on the council.

There would be four other winners “pretty much firmly in the opposite camp”.

“A four-all tie,” Mr Bartley said.

The two councillors from Wellington would then have crucial votes capable of picking the merged councils first Mayor and supporting any agenda or policies sought by either group.

Mr Bartley says it will take no time at all for mayoral candidates from both sides to “try and sew up the extra two votes from Wellington”.

He said it was possible an offer could be made: “back me as Mayor and one of you will be my Deputy Mayor” or that they could be Mayor in the third and final year of the shortened council term.

The Wellington duo could be invited to submit “their pet projects or list of demands” with a promise they would get backing on those issues in exchange for their support.

“So, the two Wellington councillors could end up being the most powerful councillors on the new council and Wellington itself could be the primary beneficiary,” Mr Bartley said.

He said if his “scenario pans out like this” horse trading could start “before anyone else knows what’s going on”.

Wellington’s six candidates have so far mainly focused on campaigning in their own ward. Of the six, Ms Anne Jones, Mr Mark Griggs, Mr Mike Augee and Mr David Grant all served on Wellington Council. Mr Jacob Perry and Mr Adam Ryan are making their first run.

This week they were talking on issues such as ensuring the area gets a fair and equal chance, keeping council services and jobs in the shire and not having the DRC focus on just one centre or the other.