It was the end of an era, especially for Long Time Chair Rob Gay, at the October Regional District of East Kootenay Board Meeting last Friday as several long-standing directors said their final farewell to public service.

One of those directors, Board Chair Rob Gay, who on Friday cracked the gavel on his 168th meeting as Chair. “It’s hard to believe that it has been 21 years as the Area C Director and it is difficult to sum up what it has meant to serve this region and to work with our board and staff over the years,” says Gay. “There has been tremendous change since my first term, but the one constant that I am tremendously proud of is the culture we have built around the regional board table here in the East Kootenay. There will always be diverse perspectives and opinions on issues, and being able to have healthy, respectful debate not only results in a stronger and more effective board, it leads to more thoughtful and well-rounded decision making. We are unique here in how well we work together, and this current Board has been exceptional in every way. I will miss working with them and with the staff of the RDEK who are second-to-none.”

In his 21 years of service, Gay missed only one RDEK meeting. After serving as Vice Chair for four years, Gay was voted as RDEK Board Chair in 2012 and for fourteen years has continued to be elected by his fellow Directors to this role. He is the longest serving Board Chair in the RDEK’s history, followed by former Kimberley Mayor Jim Ogilvie, who served 9 years as Chair. In addition to his role as Chair, Gay has also been actively involved in a number of provincial and regional committees advocating for rural interests throughout his political career.

The importance of respectful dialogue and building on the strong culture was echoed by other long-time directors who have chosen not to seek re-election and also attended their final RDEK Meeting on Friday including Kimberley Mayor Don McCormick (12 years), Electoral Area B Director Stan Doehle (12 years), and Electoral Area E Director Jane Walter (15 years). Former Sparwood Mayor David Wilks left office earlier this spring after serving a total of 13 years on the Board.

“Those outgoing directors alone account for many years of combined public service, which is an incredible amount experience and regional knowledge leaving the table. I want to acknowledge them for their service and thank them for their profound contributions during their tenures,” adds Gay. While there are several other directors seeking re-election in the Local General Election this Saturday, Invermere Mayor Al Miller, Area G Director Roberta Schnider and Area A Director Thomas McDonald have all been re-elected by acclamation. Electoral Area B Director Krista Damstrom and Electoral Area C Director Samantha Walsh have both been elected by acclamation for their first terms.

“While the board table will have some new faces around it next month, I hope collectively the directors will continue to embrace the spirit of mentorship and culture that this outgoing board has worked so hard on over the past four years. It is through this culture that relationships are preserved, good decisions are made, and a strong effective board is built,” adds Gay. “These past 21 years have been incredibly rewarding. During that time, I am proud to have contributed to building stronger rural communities, improving services, and creating greater opportunities across the region.”

The RDEK Board of Directors will be sworn in at the RDEK’s monthly meetings the first week of November.