School board seeks input on Georgina seat left vacant by Elgie resignation

Yorkregion.com
By Heidi Riedner
March 13, 2017

York Region District School Board trustees will consult with Georgina residents to help decide between an appointment or a byelection to fill the vacancy left by Nancy Elgie’s resignation last month.

The decision to hold a public meeting in Georgina was made at the March 7 meeting of the board after it debated the pros and cons of an estimated $60,000 appointment process or a $296,000 byelection.

Trustees also expressed concern at the restrictive cost of campaigning for the average citizen, which can often range in the several thousand dollars.

In the end, it was decided to take the issue to Georgina residents to ensure “two-way dialogue,” said board chair Loralea Carruthers, who brought forth a motion at the meeting that included creating an ad hoc committee to get feedback from the community.

“We want to know what Georgina residents want and respect their voice before making any decision,” she said, adding the goal would be to get feedback by the end of March and then decide how to proceed.

A townwide byelection would cost the municipality $296,000, which would be reimbursed by the school board.

If, however, Georgina residents are on board with an appointment process, which the board has done to date in each of the six previous occasions it has had to fill a vacancy since 1991, a number of options are available.

That includes appointing the runner-up from the last municipal election, which was Keswick resident Cynthia Cordova, or hammering out a recruitment/appointment process either internally or with the help of an external consultant.

In 2014, the voter turnout in Georgina was around 39 per cent.

Elgie won 52 per cent of the vote with 5,600 votes, with Cordova garnering nearly 4,500 votes.

The public consultation session in Georgina will be scheduled most likely the week of March 20 so trustees can make a final decision at their next board meeting taking place April 4.

The date will be advertised as well as available on the board’s website.

Cordova, who petitioned the board earlier this month asking for a “democratic voice” for Georgina residents, said the trustees’ decision was “a good compromise.”