On Friday (December 16), Metro Vancouver directors will elect a new chair to succeed Delta mayor Lois Jackson, as well as a vice-chair.

Vision Vancouver councillor Raymond Louie has informed the Straight he's heard that Burnaby mayor Derek Corrigan and Port Coquitlam mayor Greg Moore are both interested in the job.

Corrigan and Moore did not return messages from the Straight early this morning to confirm if they're going to put their names forward.

The regional district's responsibilities include air quality, drinking water, sewage, regional planning, and regional parks.

As chair, Jackson was paid $65,939 in 2010, according to Metro Vancouver's last statement of financial information. The vice chair, Richard Walton, was paid $32,247 in 2010.

Corrigan and Moore headed important Metro Vancouver committees during their last terms of office.

Corrigan chaired the regional planning committee, which shepherded through the Regional Growth Strategy. Moore chaired the waste management committee, which recommended that Metro Vancouver incinerate up to 500,000 additional tonnes of garbage a year in a waste-to-energy facility.

Corrigan is a New Democrat and his wife Kathy is the NDP MLA for Burnaby–Deer Lake. Moore ran as a B.C. Liberal candidate in 2005, losing by less than 1,000 votes to Mike Farnworth of the NDP.

The chair of Metro Vancouver chooses who will chair and who will sit on the regional district's various committees.

The election of a new chair comes just as Metro Vancouver is about to hire a new chief administrative officer to replace Johnny Carline, who recently announced that he will retire in February.

There are 37 Metro Vancouver directors from 21 Lower Mainland municipalities, the Tsawwassen First Nation, and one electoral area. Two of the directors are from Abbotsford, which is a member of the Greater Vancouver Regional District only for parks functions.

Each director has one vote, regardless of the size of the municipality. This means that the mayors of Anmore and Belcarra have just as much say in this election as the mayors of Vancouver and Surrey.

Walton, who was first elected mayor of the District of North Vancouver in 2005, confirmed to the Straight by phone that he's seeking reelection as vice chair of Metro Vancouver.

Meanwhile, Louie has revealed that he will also put his name forward for the vice-chair position. He has been elected four times to Vancouver council and chairs the city finance and services committee.

The last Vancouver politician to serve as vice chair was former NPA councillor Peter Ladner, who was defeated in the 2008 Vancouver mayoral election.

The last Vancouver chair was former NPA councillor George Puil, who was defeated in the 2002 municipal election.

Follow Charlie Smith on Twitter at twitter.com/csmithstraight.