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Four candidates for two Tourism Whistler board positions

Interest in role of resort marketing organization appears to be growing

Roughly 3,000 Tourism Whistler members can cast their vote for two positions in the upcoming board of directors elections.

The two positions up for election this year on the 13-member board are Hotel Lodging Director and Non-Hotel Lodging Director. Each is a two-year term.

Jim Allard, who is a director at the Tantalus Lodge, is the current Hotel Lodging Director. He has been on the Tourism Whistler board for the past 15 years and is a champion of the Class 1/Class 6 property tax issue. Allard will be running against Dave Demers, owner/general manager of the Sundial Boutique Hotel. Demers sits on a number of boards and committees in the resort, including the Whistler Chamber of Commerce and the Blackcomb Foundation.

Both nominees have a long history in Whistler.

The current Non-Hotel Lodging Director is Kerry Wallace, who has been on the board since 2001. She will also run again this year. Wallace has rented out her Whistler townhouse for the past six years and wants to ensure owners stay involved and contribute to the resort.

Wallace is running against Paul Sanderson, general manager of ResortQuest Whistler, the largest property rental management company in Whistler with more than 1,100 units in a number of different lodges and individual properties.

Rick Clare, the commercial director and chair of the Tourism Whistler board since 1998, has been returned by acclamation.

There are seven elected positions on the Tourism Whistler board, and six appointed positions.

Tourism Whistler Manager of Community and Media Relations Breton Murphy said there is increased interest in this year’s elections from the voting members of Tourism Whistler. He said that's part of the evolution of the organization in the resort.

"Some members are just becoming more aware of the role of Tourism Whistler and think, ‘you know what, here's an opportunity for me… to get involved and to have some influence in the direction of where we're headed’," he said.

Members have been sent a ballot in the mail and have until 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 16 to return their ballots. Only members within the category of hotel lodging or non-hotel lodging will be entitled to vote for these two director positions.

The ballots will be tallied and the directors announced at Tourism Whistler's annual general meeting on the evening of Tuesday, April 26 at 6:30 p.m. Members will also be asked to vote on two proposed bylaw amendments that evening.

The following morning Tourism Whistler will host a public open house at the Telus Conference Centre. At 9 a.m. Tourism Whistler will launch its new brand. From 10 a.m. to noon the public will have the chance to meet staff and review current and upcoming marketing and sales programs.