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

Board members elected

The board of directors of the Municipal Assessment Agency is pleased to announce the election of two new board members. Councillor Deborah Quilty of Paradise is the new Avalon director and Councillor Barry Oake of Grand Falls-Windsor is the new Central director. The vacancies occurred as a result of the municipal elections in September. Both directors were elected by the municipalities in their respective regions in a mail-in ballot. �Interest in the agency�s board remains high among municipalities with 70 per cent of eligible ballots cast,� said board chairperson, Fred Best. �I welcome Councillors Quilty and Oake and congratulate all 18 candidates who participated in the election process.�

The Municipal Assessment Agency provides real property assessment service to 232 municipalities across the province. Its board is representative of the agency�s stakeholders with six municipal representatives, two taxpayer representatives, two provincial government representatives and a representative from each of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Municipalities and the Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Municipal Administrators.

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

2005 12 13                               1:30 p.m.