Ok Time for another political post, so if thats not your thing stop reading now. Amidst all the hubbub about the city council position, we havent heard much about the vote for school trustee. Many dont bother to inform themselves and simply pick a name at random or one familiar from signs theyve seen. Democracy shouldnt work this way. Although I dont have any school aged children, I am concerned about how my tax dollars are spent in the public school system. Here is my breakdown of the race for school trustee: Anita Olsen-Harper has impressive credentials. She is the widow of Elijah Harper (who famously helped kill the Meech Lake Accord), She has a Phd in Education and an impressive track record as a fighter of violence against Aboriginal women. She is also being endorsed by the outgoing incumbent, Pam Fitzgerald, whom I respect and whose politics align with my own. On paper, I think all of this is fantastic. The problem I have is that Im not sure she is forceful enough to play the political game. When I met her at the debate she seemed meek and soft-spoken, and her speech was subdued. I worry she doesnt have the strong outgoing personality that would be needed to bring the concerns of parents to the table. Politics is often a domain for the hyper-extroverts, and those with softer, gentler voices often get ignored. She also left the debate early instead of sticking around to convince people to vote for her as the other two candidates did. Shes also not a factor in the sign war, which makes me worried that a vote for her would be a vote wasted. David Foltin was just the opposite. He spoke strongly and with passion. When greeting people at the debate, his body language seemed to say hey, how can I help you? He seemed like someone who you could comfortably approach with issues and who would be forceful about presenting those issues. His record is also impressive, with a bachelor of education from McGill and experience as both a high school teacher and a financial manager. He also seemed like a really nice guy. Im leaning towards voting for him. Jeremy Wittets degree is in political science, not education. He apparently served as a school trustee somewhere in Ontario, but there has been some debate on Twitter about him misrepresenting himself. It turns out he ran and lost for catholic trustee in London in 2006, and was later appointed to briefly serve as trustee. His campaign must have cost a fortune, as his slick website and use of a PR firm would attest, and you have to wonder who is paying for all of it. A few people on Twitter (not just Craig!) have suggested his campaign is being financed by the Bells Corners BIA. Wittet obviously wants to use school trustee as a stepping stone to a political career, just like his mentor Rick Chiarelli did. Personally I think this town has enough career politicians. Wittet has been appearing alongside Rick at every political event, to the point where he seems like Chiarellis mini-me. Personally I would much rather vote for someone who is driven by a passion to serve the community and do good in the field of education rather than someone who is driven solely by bottomless personal ambition. Wittet is hoping to sail to victory on Ricks coat tails. Please, please dont let that happen! Anyways those are my opinions, Id love to hear yours. You can watch the first twelve minutes of the video below and make up your own mind. But please make an informed decision for trustee on Oct 27th. Dont just pick a name at random! https://youtube/watch?v=4RNVEwOJv4Q
Posted on: Mon, 20 Oct 2014 01:35:37 +0000