The Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce elected seven members to its board of directors at its annual general meeting last Wednesday.
There was no contest for the election. Seven people were nominated for the seven available seats. As per the Chamber’s bylaws, no vote was required and all nominees were approved for the board.
Two new faces will serve on the board. Parveen Bharti, of Bee’s Sentinel Services Ltd., has been a Cloverdale resident for the past 16 years. He has managed a variety of businesses in the area, including a cafe, a laundromat, and beauty and retail stores. Meghan Cairns, a marketing professional with Elements Casino, will also join the board. She has more than a decade of experience in a wide array of industries including financial services, modular construction and hospitality.
Executive pastor of Pacific Community Church Jim Heuving, Royal LePage Wolstencroft Realtor Brian Leong, Umbrella Squared Design Group owner Kristy Hill and CopyTek Print Centres CEO Bal Sabharwal were re-elected and will continue on as board members.
Chamber makes statement on municipal election
Executive director Raminder Thomas, who recently announced she would run for city council with the Surrey First slate, was not present at the AGM, as she has taken a leave of absence during the election campaign.
Former Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce president John Gibeau is also running for a council seat with Integrity Now.
Current president Marian Maletta said that “as a non-partisan organization, we do not endorse Raminder nor John or any candidate or electoral slate. However, we wish all candidates well in this worthwhile endeavor.”
Maletta reminded the gathered business community that the Chamber of Commerce and the Cloverdale Business Improvement Association will host an all-candidates meeting at Cloverdale’s KPU Tech campus on Sept. 25, “so our Chamber members can meet and learn about all the candidates and their platforms.”
Acting mayor Tom Gill was scheduled to attend the AGM to swear in the new board members, but he cancelled, instead hosting a press conference for Surrey First at the Cloverdale Legion. Raminder Thomas was also present at the event, which happened at the same time as the Chamber’s meeting.
I think Tom Gill may have double booked. He’s on the agenda for swearing in, but media is expecting him at a press conference happening simultaneously in #Cloverdale. pic.twitter.com/0WexOTLqYk
— Sam Anderson (@sam_andrsn) September 12, 2018
Due to the absence, board members will be sworn in at an upcoming meeting.
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