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Home My WebLink AboutThe Citizen, 2000-10-18, Page 25THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2000. PAGE 25. Perth East trustee Anderson faces challenger By Stew Slater Special to The Citizen As nominations for the Nov. 13 municipal and school board elec tions drew to a close last Friday, it became clear that Avon Maitland District School Board chair Wendy Anderson will face an experienced challenger in her own bid for re-elec tion. And should she be successful, a challenger of similar convictions will await her at the first regular board meeting. Late Friday afternoon, Seaforth- area resident Maureen Agar submit ted her name for nomination at the Milverton-based offices of the Twp. of Perth East, creating a race for the area’s trusteeship. Agar, who helped spearhead a group which successful ly challenged the current board’s February, 2000 decision to close Seaforth District High School (SDHS), doesn’t live in the area but is eligible to run because she resides within the entire school board’s jurisdiction. Charles Smith, who worked close ly with Agar in the campaign to save SDHS and is unchallenged in his bid to represent the Seaforth and Central Huron area, defended Agar’s deci sion to run outside her zone of resi dence. He noted Agar has attended “hundreds” of school board meet ings and was formerly chair of the SDHS school council. “I think it’s appropriate with a school board chair who has lost in court ... that someone has stepped forward so that (Anderson) will be required to speak to the public ... and attend all-candidates meetings,” Smith said. Anderson announced her inten tions the previous week, despite what she called the considerable challenge of representing a wide spread constituency and juggling family responsibilities. “All those phone calls I was get ting from members of the public back in January (during the midst of the board’s discussions about school closure) had one thing in common, and that was that they didn’t want to be a trustee,” Anderson said. “They didn’t want to make the decisions we were making.” She says she was inspired to seek re-election by a desire to complete the task of dealing with funding and administrative issues brought on by Conservative government-led changes in the way the provincial education ministry funds schools. And she points to the current board’s success in managing the amalgama tion of the former Huron and Perth public school boards as proof she’s up to the challenge. For his part, Smith pledges to counter some of Anderson’s points about provincial shortfalls. “Nobody has ever made any kind of effort to convince me that th'e stories (about funding) they were telling me were true,” the Seaforth businessman said. “Many of the noises that have been made about what the province is doing have been made by people who are dyed-in-the-wool members of the other (political) parties. And it’s unfortunate that the students get caught in the middle.” He calls for an accentuation on the I — " ------ I "Keep LIN on County Council" sponsored by the Committee to elect UN STEFFLER MAYOR HURON EAST “positive” aspects of the province’s funding changes, and a board-wide marketing plan which would accen tuate the positive aspects of the Avon Maitland board, to promote it over the other options open to potential students. And he calls for an end to what he sees as a tendency for all nine trustees to vote as a block on weighty issues. “I would suggest that there’s no need to have a board at all if you’re going to have so many unanimous votes,” he charged. “You might as well let the administration run things on their own.” Incumbent Central Huron Trustee Abby Armstrong cites family com mitments and the ongoing frustration of lobbying the province in her deci sion not to seek re-election. The six- year Avon -Maitland veteran wel comed Smith’s candidacy, saying, “I’m glad if there is someone who’ll be running in any area.” But Smith expressed disappoint ment he’ll miss a chance to confront the incumbent, who voted in favour of the final recommendation to close SDHS. “Certainly, I would have liked to have had a whole bunch of votes in my pocket to carry around as a mandate as I advance my posi tions to other trustees,” Smith said. He added he’ll use the time previ ously planned for campaigning to collect financial, enrolment and other information from the Seaforth based offices of the school board, in preparation for his duties. And he’ll eagerly watch other trustee races unfold. “There are a number of new candidates who have come forward and a number of them have qualifi cations which are quite impressive,” Smith noted. In North Huron, incumbent Colleen Schenk will be challenged by James Floyd, another Seaforth- area resident. In South Huron, incumbent Bob Allan won’t seek re election, but prominent school board critic Randy Wagler has entered the race. Wagler, who chaired a commu nity-based committee examining student accommodation in the area in 1999, will face John Swinkels in the Nov. 13 vote. Maggie Laprade, who was appointed in Perth South and West Perth after the resignation of the vic tor from the 1997 election, will step down, citing family issues. Two can didates have stepped forward: Staffa-area resident Carol Bennewies and Tony Jackson, who made several presentations to the board during its aborted attempt last year to close Downie Central Public Elect BRUCE MACHAN Reeve of North Huron Pleased to address any questions or concerns. can 357-3794 School near St. Marys. Stratford residents will choose from a list of four names for the two trustee positions from the city. Included on that list is long-time trustee Ray Ford, but not the other incumbent, Atje Tuyten. And two trustees will be acclaimed: incum bent Don Brillinger in North Perth and Ray “Butch” Desjardine in Northwest Huron. Nine-year veteran Vicki Culbert, the incumbent in the Goderich-area trusteeship, has stepped down. In the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board, all five trustee positions will be filled by acclamation. Four of those trustees are returning: Ron Marcy (Stratford), Vincent Mclnnes (North Perth and Northeast Huron), Mike Miller (South and West Huron) and current chair Bernard Murray (South and West Perth). The new face on the board will be Mary-Catherine McKeon, represent ing North and Central Huron. She’ll replace Louise Martin, who stepped down after 12 years of service, including stints as chair in 1993, ’94, ’95 and ’99. Business Di GODERICH^ {(519) 524-8524 r Affordable CAR AND TRUCK . k RENTALS J r NESBITT J.R. MILLWRIGHTS • Millwrighting • Welding • Machine, Hydraulic & Pneumatic Installations & Repairs • Industrial & Commercial FREE MACHINE CHECKS & ESTIMATES X^Jim Elligson - Benmiller f Large & Small Trucks fridgecarts - piano dollys- moving blankets Complete Selection of Cars Our rates qualify for insurance replacenjgpt Passenger Vans full size or mini CONSTRUCTION INC. BACKHOE • BULLDOZING • EXCAVATING SAND & GRAVEL SEPTIC TANKS FARM DRAINAGE /W ^Donald Ives Genera! 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