Patrick Boyle is officially a trustee with Prairie South School Division after the winner of the subdivision 6 byelection was sworn in during the recent board meeting.
Boyle gave his declaration of office at the beginning of the April 4 meeting, while he received his orientation earlier that day.
Boyle was one of eight candidates who participated in the March 9 byelection to replace former trustee Todd Johnson. Of the 462 legitimate ballots cast, Boyle received 102 votes or 22 per cent support.
“It’s flattering whenever you get selected like that,” he told the Express after the meeting.
This is the second time the community has voted for Boyle after he was elected a city councillor in 2012 for one term. He thought it was great that residents had put their trust in him again.
“When you get into these things, it’s a bit nerve-wracking, but at the end of the day, (I) was fortunate to get enough votes and get the confidence of the people of Moose Jaw,” he added. “So it’s been good so far. Everyone’s been really welcoming. So lot to learn.”
Boyle has three children in school, which is one reason he submitted his name for the byelection. Moreover, he wanted the chance to affect their everyday lives at another level — he hears their joys and complaints regularly — by being a trustee.
“One of the biggest things right now for me of what I’m interested in is building the new school, and what does that look like and how do we move that project forward and as soon as possible,” he continued.
Boyle also wants to create the best possible learning environment for pupils so they can be successful. That success starts in school and carries into adulthood.
The new trustee’s initial goal will be to understand how meetings function, who does what and where to go with questions. He noted that the meeting was different compared to his time on city council — school divisions have no taxation powers — so he will attempt to understand the process and, once that occurs, attempt to positively influence the division’s direction.
Boyle expects his council experience to be useful since he is still dealing with a governance structure and is an elected representative. Similarly, he has experience with budgets and attending committee meetings.
“Now, there are differences and intricacies on how certain things operate at the school division versus the city, but some things are pretty close in how they operate, so … I think I can bring that strength,” Boyle said.
“Also, I feel I’m a strong communicator and feel I can do that and try to contribute in that way as well.”
Election results
Division administration presented the official results of the byelection during the board meeting.
Of 468 votes cast, 462 were considered legitimate.
Sommer Amare received 75 votes, Karli Amundrud got 14 ballots, Boyle received 102 votes, Tony Dreger got 34 ballots, Bruce Fritzler received 77 votes, Shelley Jones got 85 ballots, Sandra Kitts received 55 votes, Brian Martynook got 18 votes and Zachariah Bachmann — who withdrew before the race — received two votes.
Meanwhile, eight people voted by mail-in ballot and 91 people voted during the advance poll at the board office, while on election day, 90 voted at Riverview Collegiate, 107 voted at A.E. Peacock and 166 voted at Sunningdale School.
Trustee Crystal Froese thought it was great to see eight people running to become the new trustee for PSSD.
“I think it just shows that people are very interested in what we do around this table, which I think is really important in our community,” she said.
The next PSSD meeting is Tuesday, May 2.
