Terrace's mayor Dave Pernarowski now holds an executive position with the Union of British Columbia Municipalities (UBCM).
He was elected by acclamation today at the UBCM convention in Vancouver and holds one of five Director At Large positions.
“I was very excited to be nominated and then moved onto the executive of the UBCM,” said Pernarowski after the election. “It's going to allow me to really connect at a provincial level.”
The position is for a part-time, one-year term, and involves looking at municipal issues on a provincial policy level and then reporting back to a board of directors.
“I have always had a passion for that kind of community development ,” he said. “And this goes another level to understand how that works and to be more connected to some of the contacts at the provincial level.”
In an interview before the election, Pernarowski noted the position is not about lobbying for Terrace, but understanding issues that affect many communities.
“What you're doing is you're representing all the municipalities and that is carried through to discuss issues that affect all communities,” he said. “I think it's important to be connected to that process and to be able to stand up and have discussions with people who can make changes.”
Pernarowski said the time commitment involved includes four quarterly meetings and then time spent on the side with side committees “typically done by teleconference.”
He put his name up for the spot earlier this summer and was nominated by a UBCM committee.
District of Mission mayor James Atebe, Chilliwack mayor Sharon GaetzPrince George city councillor Murry Krause and Tumbler Ridge councillor Jerrilyn Schembri were also elected for the Director at Large position.
Each will be sworn in tomorrow.