Salt Spring Island local trustee Laura Patrick has been elected by Islands Trust Council members to be that body’s new chair, replacing outgoing three-term chair Peter Luckham in a vote among elected trustees.
The secret balloting was launched near the start of Trust Council’s three-day quarterly meeting that kicked off Tuesday, March 11. Patrick won a simple majority vote over Mayne Island trustee David Maude and Lasqueti Island’s Tim Peterson. Also nominated was Galiano Island trustee Ben Mabberley, but he declined to stand for election. The vote totals were not reported.
Patrick was first elected to represent Salt Spring at the Islands Trust in 2018. On Tuesday, she thanked fellow trustees for the honour to be chosen as chair and “for their confidence.”
“This is a team effort, and we have a wonderful team at this table –– and at this table,” said Patrick, gesturing in turn at trustees and at Islands Trust staff. “And together, let’s do some good stuff.”
The Trust Council’s chair not only heads that body’s meetings but also those of the Islands Trust’s Executive Committee. In addition, the chair is typically the first-line spokesperson to the public and media.
In remarks to fellow trustees before the vote, Patrick referenced recent challenges faced by the Islands Trust, including staff retention difficulties, a sense that the body was suffering under a negative public perception and the significance of its recent repeated effort for a wholesale governance and structure review by the B.C. government.
“Trust has voted twice in recent years to ask the province to do a review; the province has, in turn, asked us to get our house in order,” said Patrick. “Someone must lead that effort. Let’s be clear, the longer we wait to take action, the more ineffective the Trust will become, the more wear and tear it will have on our staff, and the more eroded our public trust will become.”
As the Trust Council’s official business began with its new chair, Patrick reminded trustees of promises they had made to fellow islanders in their oaths of office, and referenced recent trustee discussions surrounding civility and codes of conduct.
“I know that some of the things that we’re going to be covering this week are going to be divisive,” said Patrick, noting an extensive agenda that included both the Trust’s strategic plan and its upcoming budget. “I need your help to make our discussions as focused and as productive as possible.”
Luckham will continue to serve as a trustee for the Thetis Island Local Trust Area where he was first elected in 2005. He had chaired Trust Council since 2014.