THUNDER BAY — Voters have elected two new trustees, and returned one former trustee to office, in the Lakehead District School Board elections held Monday.
Leah Vanderwey, one of those newcomers who has a long background working in the education system, stormed to the top with 13,034 votes.
“I’m thrilled," she said in a phone interview. "I think I bring a different perspective to the board from my work experience.”
That experience includes serving as a teacher, a principal and superintendent at school boards in the region including the LDSB, and working for the Ministry of Education as the regional manager for the field services branch.
Vanderwey said she wants to see the board focus on issues including Indigenous education, special education, and mental health.
Incumbent Ellen Chambers, who served as chair of the outgoing board, earned the second-highest total of 12,428 votes.
Other incumbents rounded out the next four positions: Trudy Tuchenhagen (11,003), George Saarinen (10,265), Ron Oikonen (10,081), and Ryan Sitch (8,848).
Donica Leblanc, a retired educator and first-time candidate, earned 8,743 votes.
Pat Johansen, a former trustee, regained the final board seat with 8,517 votes, after falling short by about 500 votes in the 2018 election.
Saarinen, a trustee since 2006, said he's expecting the new board to be "dynamic," with even the newly-elected members bringing significant educational expertise and background
"I see everyone who has been elected has experience," he said. "So I think we're going to be [hitting] the ground running.
The reporting of full results, including from outlying communities, on Tuesday did not change the order in which candidates placed.
The new trustees will be sworn in at their inaugural meeting on Nov. 15, the board said.
