Whitecourt Legion Branch #44 elections bring in new president and committee members

Elections for the Board of the Whitecourt Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion were held on Thursday evening in the upstairs hall. Over 20 people attended the meeting which saw several positions taken by new members. The first call for nominations came minutes into the meeting. Each position received one nomination and once all names were written down it looked as though each spot would be filled by acclamation.

For an election vote, there must be three calls through the meeting to allow everyone multiple opportunities to speak. During the second call for nominations, a new name was put forward for Sergeant-at-Arms. Chris King held the position previously and had accepted a nomination to hold the spot again. However, a nomination from the audience provided some excitement as that meant that all in attendance would get the chance to vote.

Following the third call for nominations, roughly 20 minutes later, ballots were handed out for the election for Sergeant-at-Arms. Chris King and Scott Webb were the options for voters. After the votes were counted, Scott Webb was revealed as the winner by one vote. With all positions filled, the new Sergeant-at-Arms received his banner and proceeded to walk each member up to be sworn in by District Commander Bob Peterson.

The Executive Committee is made up of Scott Webb, Malcolm Pugh, Steve Wilson, Barb Maddigan, Ian McDermid, Elwood Pickering, Marlene Keller Pinchbeck, and Val Scott. The newly elected president is Brian Scott while Ralph Schutte fills the past-president role. First vice-president is Allen Snow and Second vice-president is Woody Jordan. The Legion Treasurer is Chris King, the Secretary is Judy Hodgson, the Service Officer is Kyle Scott, and the Sergeant-at-Arms is Scott Webb.

Five other positions within the board’s committee were also filled. Ralph Schutte for Membership, Clayton Hink for Sports, Stephanie Black for Entertainment, Malcolm Pugh for Publicity, and the duo of Barb Maddigan and Ian McDermid for the Poppy Committee. Prior to this year’s election the Sports and Entertainment positions were open for several years.

President Brian Scott said he was very happy to see the positions filled. “We were missing out in those areas because people wouldn’t know who to contact if they had questions, but now they do. This is great.” He said that as president, he hopes to spread the message that the Legion isn’t just for ex-military members anymore. “This is a public venue. Come on in. Bring your kids until 8 p.m. Even though there is alcohol served downstairs, there are toys for the kids including shuffleboard.” The Legion currently has over 200 members.