Voters in Nanaimo and Ladysmith indicated they’re satisfied with what’s happening in schools.
Four incumbents were the top four vote-getters as the Nanaimo-Ladysmith school board was also refreshed with five new additions on election day Saturday, Oct. 15.
Naomi Bailey topped the polls with 10,395 votes, followed by Tania Brzovic with 10,001 votes, Greg Keller with 8,981 votes and Charlene McKay with 8,761.
Leana Pellegrin led the group of newcomers with 8,028 votes, Mark Robinson earned 7,229, Leanne Lee was next with 6,951, then came Chantelle Morvay with 6,675 and Tom Rokeby with 6,450. Bill Robinson was the only incumbent not re-elected, finishing 10th in vote count with 6,286 votes. Tanner Scott, the candidate who disrupted a debate on Gabriola Island and was escorted from the premises by RCMP two days before election day, was 11th with 5,406 votes.
Bailey said she was elated and surprised to have topped the polls and honoured that she has again been entrusted to sit at the school board table.
She said she anticipates that the next school board will be able to get along “beautifully” and she looks forward to working with the other trustees.
“The one thing I experienced in this campaign was, with the exception of one candidate, I would honestly be honoured to work with any of them,” she said. “They all have strengths and are going to bring different perspectives to the board table which is what we need; we need that diversity.”
Brzovic agreed, saying the next board will be made up of people who are diverse and have a wide range of skills and experience. She said during the campaign there were some preliminary conversations about some initial topics for board discussion and she sees potential for the board to do some very good work.
She said the voting results suggest that the school board has been on the right path.
“Not only by the fact that four out of the five of us were re-elected, but the people who were chosen were ones who are pretty in line with the way we think, [but] just diverse enough to keep us from getting in that slump where we just pat each other on the back and agree with each other,” Brzovic said, adding that she anticipates good discussion and debate at the board table.
Bailey said some of the next board’s initial work will be continuing discussion around facilities, particularly replacement of Nanaimo District Secondary School and replacement or renewal and restructuring of schools in Ladysmith. Bailey is also looking forward to work related to implementation of SD68’s climate action plan.
The new board won’t be installed until November, so meetings before then likely won’t include significant decision-making and will instead focus on progress reports and the like, Brzovic said.
She added that she wished to thank the trustees who didn’t stand for re-election, as she said they’re wonderful people who made contributions that will help returning trustees help the newcomers.
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