BERKELEY, Calif. Cooperative Center FCU announced that Gary Bell, president of the $105 million credit union and a member of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s inaugural Credit Union Advisory Council, died last week at 54 from a bacterial sinus infection.
Bell, who served as CEO of Cooperative Center FCU from 2000 to 2002, then again from 2008 onward, was elected a year ago to the Richmond City Council but was forced to resign before being sworn in because of his illness.
He had a long career in politics, as one of the first African-American City Council members in Wichita, Kan., before moving to California, then on the Richmond City Council from 2001 to 2004, before being elected again last year. He was also an unsuccessful candidate for mayor of Berkeley.
He was named in October 2012 to serve a two-year term on the CFPB’s advisory panel for credit unions.
“The CCFCU will miss Gary Bell, as will many others in our community,” said James Garrett, chairman of the Cooperative Center FCU board. “However we will recognize that we have greatly benefitted from his contributions to our credit union and to the communities he served throughout his life.”
Funeral services are scheduled for this morning at the Hilltop Community Church in Richmond.
