With advance voting on June 13th and election day June 17th, I attended the School District 57 trustee candidate’s forum at Vanier Hall on Thursday night. It’s one thing to read a candidate’s profile, social media posts, or their “Meet the Candidate” piece; it’s quite another to listen to them in a live forum. I feel that the opportunity to hear them answer questions that they don’t know ahead of time gives us a better insight into their knowledge and understanding of the position they are running for.
Often it makes sense to elect someone new, who has no experience, and is eager to learn. A fresh perspective to look at how things are being done. Unfortunately, our school board is experiencing a crisis of leadership and our students are suffering because of it. For this reason, I was seeking to hear who had put the effort in to prepare themselves before being elected. Who would be able to hit the ground running as a newly elected trustee?
Through all the questions posed by the moderator, it was Sarah Holland who impressed me the most with her understanding and answers. She grasped the scope of the role of the trustee and the challenges facing the board, both on governance and the budget shortfall. The other candidate whose answers showed a good comprehension of the challenges facing the board and what a trustee is responsible for, was Bill Price.
I don’t know either of these candidates personally and I’m not even aware of which way either Sarah Holland or Bill Price lean politically. However, I have always believed that we should vote for the best people running.
The individuals who put their name forward to run for the two School District 57 vacancies should all be recognized for having the courage to do so. Although only two of them will be elected, there are others running who I think could be great candidates in the future. I’m going to enjoy seeing their next campaigns.
As the saying goes; “the voter is always right.” We’ll find out June 17th which of the two candidates voters think are the best choice to help the board and, more importantly, who can help make a difference to improve our children’s education.
