Pratt Chair, Toth Vice Chair of SCRD

Halfmoon Bay Area “B” Director Lori Pratt was unchallenged in retaining the SCRD Chair position and Sechelt Area Director Alton Toth was elected as Vice Chair at the Board meeting on Nov 12. Pratt has served as Chair since the Nov, 2018 inauguration of the existing Board.
The meeting, hosted electronically due to ongoing COVID-19 social distancing protocols, saw Toth and Elphinstone Area “E” Director Donna McMahon nominated for the Vice-Chair role.
All Board Directors participated in the meeting remotely from external offices. This included newly appointed Gibsons Area Director, Mayor Bill Beamish. Beamish represented the Town on the Board in 2018/19. At a Gibsons Council meeting held Nov 10, he was selected to replace Councillor David Croal, who served on the SCRD Board over the past year.
The vote which endorsed Toth’s election was conducted via email. Votes were tabulated and verified by staff in attendance at the SCRD Boardroom on Field Road.
Toth replaces the other Sechelt Area Board Director, Mayor Darnelda Siegers as Vice-Chair. Siegers opted to not let her name stand for re-election to the Board position. She stated that she wanted to dedicate more time to her role at the District of Sechelt and to her newly acquired position on the Board of the Island Coastal Economic Trust Board. That group was established by the province in 2006 to spearhead economic diversification, planning and regional revitalization in the Vancouver Island and Sunshine Coast regions.
In speaking to his Board counterparts in advance of the voting, Toth said that he believed it was important for the local municipalities to retain a leadership position on the regional Board. Along with having the capacity to take on the Vice-Chair role, Toth said he viewed the position as one that would encourage his personal growth.