By Sebastian Kanally, Times Chronicle
Mark Pendergraft will continue to serve as chair of the Regional District of the Okanagan-Similkameen’s (RDOS) board of directors, while Campbell Watt will serve as vice chair.
At their Nov. 7 meeting the RDOS board of directors voted for consistency in the position of chair of the board by re-electing their sitting chair over his challenger director Watt.
The RDOS’s inaugural meeting is always the first meeting of November, where the board of directors must select a chair and a vice chair of the board.
Director Watt, who is a Penticton city councillor, was the only challenger to Pendergraft’s position. He began his three-minute argument to his fellow directors by pointing to the fact that “my vision would be a balanced unification of our communities, and autonomy of our directors.”
He continued to say that he would seek to “prioritize building trust between directors and staff”.
“I am certainly not suggesting there has been a shortfall in representation we have had, or have now, I just feel that it’s an appropriate time for change and I hope with that change I can bring a new leadership formula.”
Pendergraft, following Watt’s statements, explained that, “I agree with most of what director Watt said with the exception that we are in the middle of change right now, and I’m not sure that we need to change the entire thing. I think the changes we are making at the staff levels are a little bit concerning, maybe to staff. So, some consistency at our end might be a good thing.”
Other than that, he commented “most people have had the opportunity to get used to the way I chaired meetings and run the regional district.”
He kept his comments well under the three-minute limit noting “one of the things I have always tried to do is keep things short and sweet.” Pendergraft defeated Watt in the vote 61 per cent to 39 per cent.
Pendergraft is a third generation Osoyoos resident who has served his community in various ways.
He was on the South Okanagan Minor Hockey Association board and was president before deciding to run as electoral area “A” (rural Osoyoos) director in 2005. Prior to serving as director, he worked with the local School District 53 as an education assistant. He is also an active Fire Warden with the Ministry of Forests and leads a crew of Wildland Firefighters.
Following this vote, the RDOS voted for the position of vice chair where three people were vying for the position: Spencer Coyne, the sitting vice chair, Campbell Watt, and Matt Taylor.
Coyne, who is the Mayor of Princeton, explained to the board that he would be honoured to be the vice chair for another year. “I try to represent the RDOS at every level of external organizational structure that I am at, whether the Southern Interior Local Government Association (SILGA), Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM), or my municipality.
“It’s kind of a funny position because you sit in the wings waiting for somebody to ask you to fill in,” he added. He went on to explain that “when the chair has not been able to be around, I have been able to pick up and do what needs to be done.”
When Watt addressed the board for the second time, after his comments vying for chair, he said “Chair Pendergraft and myself would share very complementary skill sets and I think would be a great working team.”
Watt defeated Coyne in the vote 59 per cent to 41 per cent.
Watt was elected as a Penticton city councillor in 2014 and was re-elected in 2018 and 2022. He was born in Scotland and moved to Canada at three years old. He moved to Penticton in 1999 to be a golf professional at the Penticton Golf & Country Club.
