Two familiar faces will soon be joining the New Westminster police board.
Former city councillor Mary Trentadue and downtown business owner Alejandro Diaz (managing director of El Santo restaurant) have been appointed to the police board. Their appointments were approved March 13 through an Order of the Lieutenant Governor in Council, on the recommendation of the B.C.’s Minster of Public Safety and Society General and Deputy Premier Mike Farnsworth.
Deputy Chief Const. Paul Hyland said the chief is currently on leave, but when he returns he will work with Mayor Patrick Johnstone, chair of the police board, to arrange for both members to be sworn in before the next board meeting in April.
“Both members are provincial appointees, and with their appointment our board has all six positions filled (six plus the mayor as chair),” he said.
Trentadue served two terms as a New Westminster city councillor (2014 to 2022), before deciding not to seek re-election in last fall’s civic election. During her time on council, Trentadue voiced concerns about budget increases for the New Westminster Police Department and called for more dialogue between the police board and city council.
Along with operating El Santo on Columbia Street since 2015, Diaz has also been involved in other businesses in New West, including Amaranthus and Butcher’s Table. In 2018, he ran as an independent candidate for New West minster school board.
The New Westminster Police Board has been short on members for several months.
The New Westminster police board’s role is to provide oversight and direction to the police department in a manner that is consistent with the Police Act. In addition to being the employer of sworn and civilian staff in the police department, the police board is responsible for providing financial oversight of the department, setting out the department’s priorities and policies and serving as the authority that responds to policy and service complaints.
In addition to Johnstone, the other current members of the police board are Heather Boersma, Drew Hart, Shirley Heafey and Patrick Lalonde. The New Westminster police board consists of up to five persons appointed by the Lieutenant Governor-in-Council and one (Heafey) who is appointed by the city.
