INCUMBENT JOEL?GARNER will be seeking his fourth term as president of the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) when elections are held on August 14 at the 11th Special?Meeting of Members.
The former Barbados and West?Indies fast bowler made the formal announcement yesterday coinciding with the publication of a list of nominees for the six named posts on the BCA’s board of management along with the other eight board positions.
Garner, who was first elected for a two-year term in 2007, will be opposed by his current first vice-president Conde Riley, who announced his candidature on July 18 after serving under Garner for the past six years.
Riley, who is also nominated again for the post of first vice-president, said a combination of factors had influenced his decision.
“A number of board decisions have not been carried out,” Riley said. “That goes against the grain of good corporate governance. Board decisions cannot be changed without subsequent approval of the board. I don’t like being part of things like that.”
According to the published list of nominees, Garner has been proposed by cricketing icon?Sir Wesley Hall and seconded by Michael Thompson.
“Officially, I am running for the presidency of the Barbados Cricket Association,” Garner told the NATIONSPORT yesterday, ahead of today’s annual general meeting (AGM).
“The platform on which?I am running is the record of the BCA over the last six years. I am not getting into any mudslinging. It makes no sense shooting from the lip and then later having to come out and correct the wrong things said. It is always wiser to consider your utterances first.
“Despite the challenges that the BCA has faced, we have been able to keep ourselves out of the law courts, the cricket is steadily improving, although there is still a long way to go, but with the right planning and the right foresight, we can get back to the glory days.”
Garner said that going forward, there was a three-year strategic plan that has been taken to the BCA’s board and “we are just waiting for the stakeholders’ convention (within the next term, possibly in August) for them to have their say”.
“This plan deals with, among other things, the governance of the association and some other critical areas that should see us move the organization to being the envy of the entire Caribbean region,” Garner added.
