When the masses head to polls on Oct. 20, they will not only be electing councillors, and a mayor, but School Board Trustees as well.
Current board chair Tim Bennett is seeking re-election, but trustees Tony Cable, Bob Harris, Brenda Hooker, Sharel Warrington, and Bruce Wiebe have not yet submitted nomination papers for re-election.
Vice Chair Trish Perrin, has previously stated in February that she will not be seeking re-election.
The nomination period closes for candidates to submit nomination papers closes on Sept. 14. That means if the candidates for school board remain as they are now, there could be at least six fresh faces.
On Oct. 20 electors will be asked to elect seven trustees to fill the seven positions on the Board of Education. With the establishment of new Trustee Electoral Areas in School District No. 57, there will be a separate ballot for each of the three trustee electoral areas.
Prince George Trustee Electoral Area will have 5 Trustees elected, and the Mackenzie Trustee Electoral Area and Robson Valley Trustee Electoral Area will each elect one trustee for their area.
Here’s everyone who is running for School Board so far:
Betty Bekkering
Bekkering, sat on the board from 2011-2014. She was the NDP candidate in the Prince George-Peace River riding in the 2008 federal election. Former retired Coordinator Cooperative Education at the College of New Caledonia. Her slogan is students first with an emphasis on making sure rural students have a voice.
Trudy Klassen
Trudy Klassen has lived in Prince George since the 1980s. As a wife, mother of six, and long-time community volunteer 20 years of volunteer work as a non-profit children’s programming instructor. Trudy currently serves as a Sunday school teacher, Vulnerable People Policy Lead at her church. She has taken a leave of absence from her roles a vice-chair for her PAC and DPAC in order to run for Trustee.
Tim Bennett
Tim Bennett has served School District 57 as a trustee since 2011. He has held various positions on the and has been Board Chairperson since Dec. 16. Bennett is also the past president of the Northern Interior Branch of the BC School Trustees Association. In 2018, he was elected to the Board of Directors for the BC School Trustee Association. Bennett is also the Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters Prince George.
Stephanie Mikalishen-Deol
Mikalishen-Deol is the Coordinator of Philanthropic Development and Camps at the YMCA. In addition to volunteering with local youth organizations such as Girl Guides, Big Brothers and Big Sisters, and her local church, Mikalishen-Deol is currently the President of the BC Camps Association.She is passionate about children and youth, mental health, women in leadership and life in Northern BC.
Sarah Holland
Holland was born in Vancouver and moved to Prince George in 1996 with her husband and two daughters. She is a financial planner who has previously served on the Prince George Library Board, Hart Community Association, Prince George District Parent Advisory Committee, as well as on parent advisory councils for Austin Road, Heather Park, and Duchess Park. Holland says she wants to work for the students, community, and for the benefit of public education.
Harold Edwards
Harold Edwards is a former logger and councillor for the village of McBride. Edwards won a by-election in Feb. 2017 securing his seat on the village council. He is the first to submit nomination papers for the new trustee electoral areas, as he is seeking to represent the Robson Valley. As of yet, no one has submitted nomination papers for the Mackenzie Trustee Electoral Area.
