Premier Christy Clark did some front office shuffling by bringing in Chris Gardner, a veteran political strategist with deep ties to Surrey, as a senior political advisor. Gardner, who was close to former finance minister Kevin Falcon, was appointed Clark’s new principal secretary Thursday.
VICTORIA — Premier Christy Clark did some front office shuffling by bringing in Chris Gardner, a veteran political strategist with deep ties to Surrey, as a senior political advisor.
Gardner, who was close to former finance minister Kevin Falcon, was appointed Clark’s new principal secretary Thursday.
Gardner will be in charge of managing the political implications of the premier’s policies, which has been vacant since before the 2013 provincial election when Mike McDonald left to become Liberal party campaign director, reported the Vancouver Sun.
“His appointment fills a vacancy in our senior leadership team and builds greater capabilities to strengthen our working relationships with stakeholders throughout our province,” wrote Dan Doyle, Clark’s chief of staff, in an internal email Thursday.
Gardner’s ties in Surrey go back to when he helped Falcon form the once-dominant Surrey Electors Team in 1990, and then later directing mayoral campaigns for Doug McCallum and most recently Dianne Watts, the Sun reported.
His salary in the premier’s office is expected to be $175,000 annually.
