The New Westminster police board will have two new members by the end of the year because two longtime members will have reached the end of their terms.
Ron Basran completed his term in March and Karen Foss is finished in July, with both having served the maximum six years.
According to Mayor Wayne Wright, who chairs the board, six people have interviewed in Victoria for Basran's vacant position, and he expects to get a shortlist of two or three candidates in a couple of weeks.
Wright said the board will then look at those candidates and send its thoughts back to Victoria, and then the province makes the official appointment.
"We always look for a balance," said Wright, who added that means having men and women on the board and having as many parts of the city represented as possible.
Basran is well-known in the Queensborough community, and with the area continuing to grow, Wright said it is important that Queensborough continue to have a voice at the police board table.
Rebecca Maurer and Allen Domaas are the current citizen representatives on the police board.
Wright said optimally he would like to see two men and two women on the board once both appointments are done, but the most important criteria is to get the best people serving on the board.
One change Wright would like to see is staggering the time when appointees finish their terms.
"It's very hard on this board to lose two voices at pretty much the same time," he said. "Both Ron and Karen added a lot to this board, and we're losing them within months of each other."
alau@royalcityrecord.com
www.twitter.com/AlfieLau
