Four NEDC board members resign, three this week, as future remains unclear
NANAIMO — Three members of the Nanaimo Economic Development Corporation’s (NEDC) board of directors have resigned this week.
NEDC board vice chair Doug Kalcsics confirms AJ Hustins, Signy Madden and Carla Smith resigned on Monday. Kalcsics says Charlie Parker stepped down from the board a few weeks ago as well. The resignations come at a tumultuous time for the corporation. On Oct. 17 the city of Nanaimo announced they would be removing tourism from NEDC’s mandate at the end of the year. On Tuesday, the board fired CEO John Hankins just 10 months after they hired him. His dismissal came one day after Hankins published an op-ed piece critical of the tourism decision.
“There’s natural turnover, that usually happens at the end of terms,” said Kalcsics. “These particular resignations obviously are mid-term. These are personal decisions on the part of the individuals. I respect their decision to resign, I’m not going to comment necessarily on the reasons because it’s really up to them, not me.”
Kalcsics, who is in his fifth year on the board, says there have always been mid-term resignations for various reasons. He says typically the board is replaced every April or May at the annual general meeting. He says the articles of incorporation are such that every board member steps down and then a new board is reappointed, including those that are wishing to return. The board had been at its maximum allowable size of 17 members, but is now down to 13, according to Kalcsics.