There are only a few days left before the nomination period closes for municipal elections.
So far in Cornwall there are 14 people running for council and three running for Mayor, for the position of trustee however, most incumbents are running unopposed.
Sadly, this is the case for many school boards, where trustees face no opposition and are acclaimed. In the province of Ontario, around one-third of all trustees on all school boards are acclaimed.
There are four school boards in Cornwall and a total of five incumbent trustees. As of writing, all trustees in Cornwall are running unopposed.
I believe that the incumbent trustees should be applauded at least for putting themselves out there first and for serving their community, but I believe that our school boards would be improved if our trustees faced some competition at the ballot box.
The public deserves the best representation and that can only happen if trustees are challenged in elections. Other members of he public need to come forward with their own ideas for education and whether those ideas are accepted or not, the system is stronger for having tested them.
The past two years have clearly shown that there are major changes coming to our schools both from the provincial level and from the school boards themselves.
Right now we are in the midst of a debate as to what our sex-ed curriculum should look like. Two years ago this fall, both of the local English language school boards in our area began a process that saw many local schools face closure.
It was during that second fight in particular that I saw many people come forward and get involved with the politics of their school board, many for the first time. Meetings about school closures, curriculum and class sizes were packed with interested and involved members of the public who demanded change, or a stop to the plans that would have closed so many local, rural schools. It is now two years later and where did all of these people go?
If anyone out there reading this was unhappy about their school being threatened with closure two years ago, or about not having French Immersion programming at their school, or want to help shape the future of rural education, then they should be running. Even if they don’t get elected, they should at least put their ideas out there and challenge the incumbent trustees.
The amount of school board trustees that are acclaimed is staggering and it shakes my confidence and makes me question whether the public is being best served by the current system. I am not calling out any particular school board trustee, but I think that all incumbents would benefit from at least being tested in a competitive election.
This Friday is the deadline for anyone to get in their nomination papers for trustee or council. As stated we have five incumbents running unopposed for trustee and 14 people running for council. The public deserves to have more options when choosing its representatives for the next four years.
What do you think readers? Are trustees important? Are you happy with yours? Email me your input to nicholas.seebruch@tc.tc
