The Strathcona Regional District (SRD) Board of Directors held its inaugral meeting yesterday, Nov. 6 where by acclamation they re-elected its Chair and Vice Chair for the 2019/2020 year.
Returning as chair for another one-year term is director Michele Babchuk, City of Campbell River Councillor. This will be Babchuk’s third term as chair of the Strathcona Regional District.
As Chair of the Board of Directors it will be her responsibility to act as the Chief Executive Officer for the Regional District, including the management of monthly meetings of the Regional District Board.
“I am humbled to once again be elected to this position by my peers,” Babchuk says. “Last year was an extremely challenging year as the directors and staff grappled with issues and processes that they have never dealt with before. We have learned a lot but are now looking forward to returning to our mandate as we focus on providing services to the constituents of our region.”
Director Brad Unger, Mayor of Gold River is also returning for a third term as vice chair.
“I thank the Board and appreciate the opportunity for me to advance our strategic initiatives and raise the profile of this organization within our region,” Unger says.
The role of the vice chair is to assist the chair in fulfilling their duties and to exercise the powers of the chair during the absence, illness or other disability of the chair.
The SRD has a board of 13 directors comprising of electoral area directors who are elected directly by rural area voters and serve four-year terms, and municipal directors who are first elected to a municipal council by municipal voters and are then appointed by council to the regional district board for a maximum term of four years at discretion of their councils.
The election of the chair and vice chair is done annually during the regional district’s inaugural meeting in November.
The Strathcona Regional District is a partnership of four electoral areas and five municipalities providing services to approximately 44,000 residents.