With the dust still settling on Saturday’s municipal elections, some local politicians are already jockeying to chair the Capital Regional District board.
At least four are considering a run to be CRD board chairperson, a $26,000-a-year position, including View Royal Mayor David Screech, Central Saanich Mayor Ryan Windsor, Saanich Coun. Colin Plant and Esquimalt Mayor Barb Desjardins, who has held the position before.
“I’m certainly interested in running for chair of the board, for sure,” said Screech, the current board vice-chairman. “I’ve been sitting around that table as an alternate and a director since 2002, so I think I’m ready and up for the role."
> More election coverage at timescolonist.com/elections
Screech said the board will have to make significant decisions early in its mandate to move forward on implementing the $90-million Regional Housing First Program, which aims to eliminate chronic homelessness.
“There are going to be a lot of decisions to make in the very early days of this board in terms of projects and acquiring land and getting on with the Housing First Program,” he said, adding that he also wants to get a start on addressing the regional transportation issue.
Windsor said one of his priorities would be to move on recommendations from the Special Task Force on First Nations Relations, of which he was a member.
“We’ve got a new board with nine new directors so I think you want somebody with some experience to lead the board in its new mandate. There are people out there who could do it and I believe I’m one of them.”
Desjardins said she has made no decision yet but “a lot of people have been encouraging me” to take a run.
“To me, it’s the importance of how to move the work forward,” she said. “So I would like to know who is considering it as well because there are a lot of good people around the table and we have a lot of new people around the table.”
Likewise, Plant said he has not made any decision, but “I am certainly listening to a few colleagues whisper in my ear that I should consider a run.”
The CRD chairperson and vice-chairperson are decided annually by a secret vote of the board, often with candidates horse-trading promises of committee appointments or chairperson positions.
Plant, a secondary school drama teacher, said if he does run he doesn’t see his role to be a star at the front of the stage, “but to be the director who puts the stars in their best light,” noting that as a director it’s his job to assess other people’s strengths.
“That’s what I think I could bring to the CRD, without trying to sound too egotistical, is to put all of these directors into places where they have passion, knowledge and experience,” he said.
Changes brought about by Saturday’s civic election will mean several new faces at the 24-member Capital Regional District board table.
The board is composed of one or more elected officials from each of the 13 municipalities and three electoral areas within the CRD. (Representation is based on population, with one director for every 25,000 people or portion thereof.)
Most municipalities send their mayor, but there have been cases where a council has chosen someone else.
After Saturday’s election, the region has five new mayors which will mean new directors from Sidney, North Saanich, Oak Bay, Saanich and Colwood.
Both Saanich and Victoria, which because of their population have more than one director, have voters indicate by ballot which councillor or councillors they want to serve as CRD director in addition to the mayor.
In Victoria this election, Coun. Marianne Alto wasn’t returned to the CRD. Instead, voters opted to send Coun. Jeremy Loveday along with councillors Ben Isitt and Geoff Young.
In Saanich, Plant and veteran Coun. Susan Brice will be joined at the table by new mayor Fred Haynes, along with newcomer councillors Rebecca Mersereau and Ned Taylor. Coun. Dean Murdock is retiring, and residents did not vote to return Coun. Judy Brownoff to the CRD.
Elections to determine the new chairperson and vice-chairperson of the CRD board, the Capital Regional Hospital District board and the Capital Region Housing Corporation board will be held on Nov. 14.
