Electronic voting for the Whistler Chamber of Commerce 2015 Board of Directors is now open.
The Chamber wants to fill three vacancies that will be created at the end of 2014.
Four candidates have been nominated for the three vacancies – Kyle Hannay of McCoo's, Michael Mills of Foto Source and Coast Mountain Photography, Sarah Strother of Whistler Publishing and incumbent board member Ben Thomas of VIP Mountain Holidays.
"They're all terrific candidates," said Val Litwin, CEO of the chamber.
"What I like best about the people I see here running is we've got some terrific variety here as well. Clearly all of them are people that are out there already in the community, very engaged in business, and just generally elevating Whistler's business across the board.
"We'd be delighted and honoured to get any of these folks on the board."
The top three candidates will be elected to the chamber's board of directors for a three-year term.
The chamber's membership at large will vote to confirm the 2015 board of directors at the chamber's annual general meeting on Dec. 2, and the new directors will be sworn in at the first board meeting in January 2015.
The board is responsible for the strategic direction of the chamber, Litwin said, with a specific focus on four areas: relevance and value to business, financial viability, its role as an advocate for business and its role as a valued and respected partner.
"So the board comes up with strategic priorities based on those areas, and then the CEO and team roll it out operationally," Litwin said.
Two of the three vacancies will be created by outgoing directors Brent Harley and David Kirk — the third will be the seat of Thomas, who is seeking another term on the board.
"Brent and Dave have just been phenomenal contributors... they'll definitely be missed," Litwin said.
The chamber's new board will pick up where the last one left off, advocating for the needs of its members and making Whistler businesses stronger.
"We'll continue to put lots of focus onto our new Whistler Experience, nurturing our partnership with UVic and making sure we're bringing world-class training at an affordable cost to our members," Litwin said.
Voting is open to all chamber members, and closes at 5 p.m. on Nov. 21. Members can email [email protected] for a voter ID and e-ballot link.
"I would just say if you're a current member, exercise your right to vote," Litwin said.
