During its first meeting of the new year, the Board of Police Commissioners elected Coun. Crystal Froese as chairwoman and Coun. Doug Blanc as vice-chairman for 2024.
Commissioners elected the two members to their respective positions during the board’s organizational meeting on Jan. 11 at the Cultural Centre. This meeting is usually held in January when members begin their terms.
Police Chief Rick Bourassa chaired the start of the meeting, with the first order of business being to swear in Commissioner Clive Tolley and have him take the oath of office.
The mayor was absent during the initial swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 4, which welcomed returning commissioner Blanc and new commissioners Froese, Nicole Swanson and Patricia (Trish) Martynook.
Bourassa then explained how voting would work, saying if there was a tie, the top two names would be written on paper and placed in a box. A senior police superintendent would then pull a name and that person would be chair or vice-chair.
This was a new process, likely instituted after the confusion surrounding the vote for chairperson in January 2023. The board addressed that issue by relying on legal counsel Destiny Gibney’s interpretation of Robert’s Rules of Order.
Picking a chairperson
Tolley — who submitted Blanc’s name for board chairman — explained that it’s typically the mayor who chairs the police board. However, when he won the mayoral byelection two years ago, he had so much to do that he thought someone else should lead.
The mayor praised former chairwoman Mary Lee Booth for her work and, since Blanc served admirably as vice-chairman, thought his council colleague should fill the role.
Blanc explained that he has been a police commissioner for four years and has attended several valuable Ministry of Justice-led training sessions. He is also “always available” since he is retired and can dedicate time to the role.
Furthermore, he chaired a provincial board four years ago that included 20 to 35 people, while he chaired several sub-committees within that group. Moreover, he has led dozens of other boards, including ones with conventions with over 2,000 people.
Blanc thought the primary functions of the chairperson were to provide direction, lead meetings, answer questions, make inquiries, mentor colleagues and deal with other senior leadership members.
Froese then nominated herself and explained that she served on the police board from 2016 to 2019, which made her familiar with how the police budget works. She acknowledged that the position would involve plenty of time and attention and said she could devote energy to it.
Froese said she has sat on — and chaired — several boards during the past 20 years, so she is experienced in running meetings. Moreover, her leadership style focuses on ensuring those meetings stay on time and task.
She thought the board chairperson’s primary function was to ensure members had the correct information to make sound decisions. Moreover, she wants to enhance the board’s orientation process, considering the learning curve is steep and most citizens are unfamiliar with the police service’s inner workings.
Froese said that when she was last on the board, meeting senior police leadership, touring headquarters, and riding with police helped her better understand the organization.
The board then voted for Froese to be chairwoman.
Picking a vice-chairperson
Blanc submitted his name to be vice-chairman, while Martynook also stepped forward.
Martynook explained that she just spent nine years serving on the Regina Airport Authority’s board of directors and chaired three sub-committees.
She understood that the vice-chair’s role was to oversee board meetings when the chairperson was absent, keep people focused on the agenda, assist with strategic decision-making and remind people about the board’s oversight authority of the police service.
Martynook said she’s also negotiated collective bargaining agreements, overseen capital budgets and helped create strategic plans. Meanwhile, she can also devote plenty of time to the police board since she is retired.
The board then selected Blanc as vice-chairman.
The next police board meeting is Thursday, Feb. 15, at 9 a.m.
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