Joe Stanhope will once again be chairman for the Regional District of Nanaimo board of directors.
Bill McKay, Nanaimo director and mayor, had been rumoured to be throwing his name in the ring, but at the regional district's inaugural board meeting Tuesday night, it was McKay who nominated Stanhope, Electoral Area G director.
Colin Haime, Lantzville director and mayor, was elected as deputy chairman.
McKay said he very briefly considered running for the position but wants to concentrate on his duties as mayor. He said he may consider putting his name in down the road.
“Normally there's always been this sort of standard practice that the chair would come from the electoral areas and that the City of Nanaimo would hold the [deputy chairperson],” said McKay.
“In a spirit of cooperation with the region, that while change is necessary, we wanted to make sure that Mayor Haime was welcome to that position and we're going to work alongside both of them to make sure this is a very progressive organization,” he said.
Stanhope had heard other people had been interested but said he was pleased and overwhelmed by the support shown to him. He said he wasn't surprised that McKay nominated him.
“I'm very pleased. I'm very honoured because, let's face it, Nanaimo is the key thing,” said Stanhope. “We're a federation but Nanaimo has the most population and the weighted vote and all the rest of it, so it's basically, we have to accomplish what Nanaimo really wants.
“We're seven electoral areas and four municipalities, of course Nanaimo is a hell of a lot bigger than anybody else, so I think it's going to be a good year.”