Newly elected trustee Tony Cable was declared District 57 school board's next chairperson after he was voted in at the inaugural meeting Tuesday.
He beat out second-term trustee Tim Bennett, who was also vying for the spot.
"I think being a new trustee there's always a little apprehension and there's a little bit of a learning curve," Cable acknowledged, but disputed past references to him as a rookie. "I have a lot of experience and background. I've chaired a lot of different committees so I feel I'm prepared to do the job."
Cable, who has 35 years as teacher and principal, said his leadership style is inclusive.
"I'm going to try and use the word 'we' instead of 'I,'" said Cable, who before the vote highlighted his experience as district representative for the BC Teachers' Federation, chairperson of the sports committee for the Winter Games, and chairperson of the Great White North Lacrosse League.
Cable will lead the seven-member team including incumbents Sharel Warrington, Brenda Hooker and Trish Bella and newcomers, Bruce Wiebe and Bob Harris - all of whom were sworn in to launch the meeting.
Bennett said the loss just means he can get his hands dirty again doing committee work.
"I'm ready to support him as chair in any way that I can over the next year," Bennett said in the aftermath. "One of the benefits of not being chair is i really get back and enjoy the committee work which I love so much."
Brenda Hooker was voted in for the one-year term as vice-chairperson, facing off against Trish Bella, who is in her third term as trustee.
"My vision for the board is to build a collaborative team that works well together with the common goal of improving School District 57 for our students," said Hooker during her speech. "Does this mean we all need to be like-minded and agree? No.
"Diversity of viewpoints creates better governance."
Warrington, who served as chair for three terms, made her decision to step back public before the meeting. She became provincial councillor with the BC School Trustees Association by acclamation.
"I think this past election definitely raised the profile of public education," Warrington told the small crowd that gathered to watch the new trustees take their oaths.
"This is an extremely strong team."
Cable said with contract negotiations behind the board, trustees can focus more on policies and fostering partnerships.
"This gives us an opportunity, first of all, to make sure we mend fences and make sure that we have some good relationships moving forward," he said. "We have a chance to do a lot of things that you get diverted from when you're in contract negotiations."
For the final vote, Bruce Wiebe became the BC Public School Employers' Association representative, also by acclamation.
