Roger Anderson became Durham Region's first elected regional chair on Monday night. Anderson has been chair and CEO of the region since 1997, but Monday was the first time the public got to weigh in on his job. The former police officer beat runners-up Peter Neal and Michael Deegan by a landslide, with 57,905 votes. Deegan had 18,318, and Neal had 14,483. Since its inception in 1973, Durham Region councillors have appointed the chairman. On Monday, Durham became the second Greater Toronto Area region to elect a chair. Residents of Halton Region also elect their chair. The regional chair presides over all council meetings, and is a member of all standing committees. He or she meets regularly with residents to listen to their concerns, and represents boards, committees and organizations in council.
