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Delta council doesn’t want advice from this former councillor

A former long-time Delta councillor says she hopes politics didn’t come into play in her not being selected to serve on civic advisory committees.
Engelland
Krista Engelland was rejected for three Delta committees.

A former long-time Delta councillor says she hopes politics didn’t come into play in her not being selected to serve on civic advisory committees.

A 15-year Delta council veteran first elected in 1993, Krista Engelland responded to the city’s advertisement for residents interested in volunteering for a range of committees that provide guidance to council. Engelland was a member of a number of civic committees during her five terms in office.

The 57-year-old applied to serve on three committees – parks, recreation and culture commission, mayor’s public safety and board of variance – but received rejection letters for each one.

“We were fortunate to have a number of very qualified applicants, however, yours was not among the applications that have been selected at this time. Your interest and background are noted and we are aware that you have much to offer your community,” the letters from city clerk Robyn Anderson explain.

A Delta resident for almost 50 years who twice ran for mayor against Lois Jackson, a one-time political ally, Engelland said when she was in office council deliberated behind closed doors on which candidates would be suitable for each committee. Each councillor could speak about any of the candidates that had applied for the position, she said.

“I was genuinely interested in serving on these committees and disappointed that I was not appointed to any of them despite my qualifications,” she told the Optimist.

Wondering if there was any political motivation, she said she’d like to know how many people applied.

Engelland, who was opposed to the Tsawwassen Springs development and had stated her opposition to rezoning the Southlands, in her application stated she was especially interested in serving on the parks, recreation and culture commission to help facilitate evolving projects, facilities and programs.

“I have a familiarity with a wide range of issues affecting Delta and my approach is one of balance and common sense,” she stated in her application.

Explaining the selection process, Anderson told the Optimist via e-mail that the 2019 council advisory committee appointments were made recently at the executive (closed) council meetings of March 4 and 11. The appointments were presented to council for consideration in accordance with the Community Charter.

The city advertised for volunteers and staff compiled all the applications/resumes that were received for each committee into a binder and provided a cover sheet for each that included the list of current members, those seeking re-appointment and the new applicants.

The committees were revamped after Mayor George Harvie took office last fall, but will be meeting again in May after a lengthy hiatus.

“At the executive meeting, council considered re-appointment of interested existing members, where applicable, followed by the appointment of new applicants to the vacant position/s. Council members then nominated individuals for re-appointment or appointment to each of the committees and in order to be appointed, the individual needed to receive a majority of votes (minimum of four votes if all council members are present). It should be mentioned that for a majority of the committees there were many more applicants than there were vacancies on the committee,” Anderson explained.

“After the meeting, letters were sent to the successful applicants and the unsuccessful applicants. The unsuccessful applicants were advised that the city would keep their applications on file for one year for consideration should a vacancy occur mid-term.”

The same selection process for committee members was followed in the past, Anderson added.