Three more Squamish Chamber of Commerce board members resigned this week, adding to last week's resignation of three others, including the president.
The most recent resignations, announced on Tuesday (April 3), prompted the new acting board president, Patrick Stafford-Smith, to observe, "The board resignations appeared to be well planned and coordinated. They came as a surprise to me, and lead me to suspect that more than fiery debate in the boardroom may have been involved."
The three who stepped down on Tuesday were Denise Jimmo, who had been board secretary, treasurer Michelle Ellis and second vice-president Dr. Gina Ball. They joined ex-president Jasmine Henczel, Senator Ron Anderson and director Ana Santos, who stepped down on Friday (March 30).
In an emailed statement, Henczel - who was named president of the 12-member Chamber board on Jan. 17 - said she resigned because "there is an adversarial climate where most decisions are charged and contentious.
"I serve on the Board as a volunteer because I am public service minded and public service is something I normally find fulfilling and enjoyable," she wrote. "When the climate removes any enjoyment or fulfillment, I feel life is too short to be doing something that is proving miserable instead of enjoyable.
"It remains a mystery to me why the Board is so adversarial as Chambers of Commerce normally do not do contentious work.
"I leave the Chamber at a time when finances are in good order, the relationship with the District of Squamish is cohesive and while the membership is, per capita, one of the highest in British Columbia."
Santos wrote in her resignation letter, "I have reached a point where I constantly feel my contribution of time and effort is neither valued nor productive."
Anderson, a 23-year Chamber board member who was named a senator last November, also submitted his resignation from that post. Senator is an honourary position that confers lifetime Chamber membership and voting rights on the board.
When Anderson was appointed, most seemed to feel the honour was well-deserved, but some members said at a general Chamber meeting in December that the appointment should not have occurred at a closed-door meeting of the board.
"It appears that a very small group of people are criticizing my appointment and the process in which I was appointed," Anderson wrote in a statement announcing his decision. "Their intentions are to change the by-laws and challenge the current ability for the board to appoint an individual as a Senator.
"I do not wish to have this very solid and valuable organization drawn into such a potentially public and definitely politically motivated negative forum. I tender my resignation so that the slate is clear and the process is transparent, those that wish to craft new bylaws and policies can do so unencumbered."
Wrote Jimmo, "I have experienced an unbearable increase in the level of animosity and conflict present at each meeting of the board. The continuously adversarial atmosphere has overshadowed the needs of the overall membership and prohibited the productivity of" the 2012 board.
Santos wrote in her resignation letter, "I have reached a point where I constantly feel my contribution of time and effort is neither valued nor productive."
Mark Stephens resigned as treasurer a few weeks ago and was replaced by Ellis. Afterward, Henczel said Stephens resigned to look after "personal and work priorities."
Chamber officials said in a statement that the remaining board members are "taking action to ensure continuity" after the resignations. "It's time to clear the air so that the Squamish Chamber of Commerce can refocus on supporting a strong and vibrant business community for the future of Squamish," Stafford-Smith said.
A meeting is set for next Tuesday (April 10) "to establish next steps and priorities," officials said.
The Chamber was embroiled in controversy during the latter part of 2011. In November, the board expelled a member from the organization for allegedly withholding data from a Chamber economic development survey from the board. In December, the board accused the male member of "bullying and intimidation" toward female members of the board, an accusation the ex-member denied. The man has since retained legal counsel in the matter, though no lawsuit has yet been filed.
