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Dropped digit messes with tally in trustee race

Municipal election
SD46 offices
School board trustees Betty Baxter, Greg Russell and Lori Dixon were all re-elected on Nov. 15.

A dropped digit made for a few days of concern for school trustee Betty Baxter, who was declared a winner in rural area two on Nov. 15 by just one vote over fellow candidate Allen Stevenson.

On Nov. 18, after a recount and closer look at the tally sheets, chief election officer Nicholas Weswick declared Baxter the winner with 1,366 votes, as compared to Stevenson’s 1,212.

“On forensic analysis, it looks like what happened is on one of the tally sheets there was 169 votes for Betty Baxter and they wrote the total down wrong, they just wrote 19 instead of 169, so they effectively left out the six, however that happened,” Weswick said. “So the ballots were cast correctly, the votes were counted, but in the totalling of the column, something went wrong there.”

Baxter will join incumbents Lori Dixon and Greg Russell, who also ran for a spot in rural area two, and acclaimed candidates Christine Younghusband, Dave Mewhort, Lori Pratt and Pammila Ruth on school board for the upcoming term.

“For the last few days it’s been stressful for sure,” Baxter noted. “I do want to say that I’ve gotten to know Allen Stevenson quite well in the last few days, and he’s a completely class act. He would have made a great school trustee.”

Baxter also gave kudos to Weswick and his assistant Erica Reimer for their professionalism during the recount process.

“I’ve had lots of trustees tell me horror stories about close votes. This one, everything was transparent. We were educated on the Act and then we were educated on who had what power, whose decision it would be and then we walked through it in a way that everyone could see every single vote as we recounted. Tedious but very, very open and fair,” Baxter said.

She’s looking forward to a new term with one new trustee at the table.

“I think the board is going great places. We’ve really made some good progress and I think that we’ll continue to,” she said. “I’m glad we’ve got a little shift so there’s a bit of new blood and new energy. And Pammila’s very keen to go, so I’m looking forward to it.”

Russell, who garnered the most votes, 1,546, and has consistently topped the polls in the five elections he’s now won, said this was the most
“interesting vote” he’s ever been through.

“It really did look like we were going to have a judicial recount for a while there,” Russell said.

He’s thankful for the strong show of support from the community and said he’s hopeful about the upcoming term.

Dixon, who garnered 1,469 votes, said she planned to lobby for change in the upcoming term because she “saw people’s eyes light up during the campaign any time I mentioned change to the system.”

“My whole reason for being during this next term is going to be about open government, more discussion, recorded votes and to begin the process of making changes to the system,” Dixon said.

New to the school board this term will be Ruth who takes over the seat left vacant by Silas White. White will be joining Gibsons council next month.

“I have a strong attachment to our schools and will work hard to make certain our children and educators are having their needs met,” Ruth said.

The new school board will be sworn in and have their inaugural meeting on Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. at the school board office.