There will be a changing of the guard at the Regional District of Nanaimo board table.
In a secret-ballot vote at a meeting Tuesday night, second-term Bowser/Deep Bay director Bill Veenhof ousted veteran politician Joe Stanhope for the chairman-of-the-board position. Stanhope, a French Creek representative, had held the title since 2002.
“For my first act as chair I want to start by recognizing the outstanding service that Joe has given the RDN… It’s a better place because of his influence,” said Veenhof.
“All of Vancouver Island should be grateful for his achievements… Joe, you can hold your head up high, secure in the knowledge that you’ve done exceptionally well. Please accept my sincere thanks — well done.”
Everyone in the board chambers rose to give Stanhope a standing ovation pierced with loud applause.
Veenhof said his top priority as chair is to “preserve the confederation through respectful dialog.” He said it’s also important to support the interim CAO — announced Tuesday as Dennis Trudeau — and to oversee a smooth transition to a new, permanent CAO.
“Another priority is I want to see a local government that’s transparent and accountable to its constituents where there’s effective and efficient services,” he said. “It’s very important to me that we have a staff that’s empowered to achieve the goals of the board.”
Asked if that meant he thought the RDN was failing in those areas, Veenhof said: “I think we can do better.”
He said his immediate work focuses will be the strategic plan and the budget, reaffirming “the most important thing for me is the preservation of the confederation.”
The RDN chair is elected by board members every year in December. As chair, Veenhof will make an additional $19,500 on top of the $10,985 that electoral area directors receive for a total annual remuneration of $30,485.
Stanhope left the meeting immediately after it ended and was not available for comment.
As no other nominations came forward for the deputy chair position, Lantzville Mayor Colin Haime was acclaimed for the second consecutive year.
Parksville and Qualicum Beach mayors Marc Lefebvre and Teunis Westbroek, respectively, will continue serving as their council’s RDN representative on the board.
During an in-camera meeting, Trudeau, the RDN’s general manager of transportation and solid waste services was selected by the board to serve as interim CAO on the heels of Paul Thorkelsson’s resignation. Thorkelsson recently accepted a CAO position in Saanich. Tuesday night was his last meeting as CAO of the RDN board.
Trudeau, who has worked with the RDN for nearly two decades, said he’s “excited” about the opportunity to serve as interim CAO.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he told The NEWS Tuesday night, noting he is “absolutely” interested in applying for the permanent CAO job. “This is one of the most interesting regional districts in the province.”
