A regional South Australian mayor has been formally reprimanded and publicly apologised for breaches of the state's Local Government Act and misconduct under the Ombudsman Act.

The South Australian ombudsman found Southern Mallee District Council Mayor Ron Valentine improperly used his position to gain an advantage for himself in the recruitment process of the chief executive officer in 2023.

In a report, Ombudsman Emily Strickland said Cr Valentine applied for the CEO position after sitting as chair of the selection panel during the first round of advertising in June 2023.

She noted he had applied for the position twice before his appointment to council in 2022, but had been unsuccessful.

Cr Valentine was provided with a summary of the first round of applications during the selection

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