The following is being distributed at the request of the Municipal Assessment Agency:

Chairperson elected

The board of directors of the Municipal Assessment Agency is pleased to announce the re-election of Mayor Fred Best of Clarenville as chairperson. Mayor Best was originally elected as chairperson in 2003 and has served on the board since 1998. The election was held during the board�s recent meeting. Also during that meeting the board elected councillor Lucy Stoyles of Mount Pearl as vice-chair. "I look forward to continue to serve the municipalities of Newfoundland and Labrador in my capacity as chair of the agency�s board of directors," said Mayor Best. "I also welcome new board members councillor Marie Deacy of Conception Bay South representing the Avalon region and David Manning of Torbay as a taxpayer representative." The agency�s board includes:

Labrador                                    Councillor Terry Hancock, Forteau
Western                                    Mayor Harold "Smokey" Ball, Deer Lake
Central                                      Councillor Len Wellman, Springdale
Eastern                                     Mayor Fred Best, Clarenville (Chairperson)
Avalon                                       Councillor Marie Deacy, Conception Bay South
Urban                                        Councillor Lucy Stoyles, Mount Pearl, (Vice-chair)
NLAMA                                     Rodney Cumby, CAO, Torbay
NLFM                                        Mayor Wayne Ruth, Kippens
Citizens                                     Bruce Borden, Corner Brook
                                                 David Manning, Torbay
Provincial Government                 William Parrott, ADM, Environment and Conservation

The Municipal Assessment Agency supplies real property assessment services to 231 municipalities across the province and provides valuations for more than 180,000 real property and business accounts.

Media contact: Sean Martin, Executive Director, (709) 724-1532, 685-3981