An election process will unfold in the South East Cornerstone Public School Division (SECPSD) on Oct. 26 following the closing of nominations for trustee positions on Sept. 21.
Shelley Toth, returning officer for the division said four people are seeking the two board positions assigned to the city of Weyburn while two people are contesting the Subdivision 3 seat, formerly held by Kevin Keating who has moved over to Subdivision 4 and is running unopposed as a candidate for that sector, following the retirement of Shirley Wheeler, who was the incumbent there.
In Subdivision 3, Jim Henderson and Velda Weatherald have filed nomination papers to represent the area that includes schools in Redvers, Gainsborough and Carnduff.
Keating will now represent schools located in Bienfait, Lampman and Oxbow. That seat as well as all the others, are being filled by acclamation.
In Weyburn, incumbent Dana Pretzer has decided not to seek re-election following a narrow victory in the 2015 by-election that saw him actually tie in the vote count with rival Brandon Tichkowsky, ultimately winning the seat through a blind draw from a hat.
Warren Betker, the other incumbent, who also won in a by-election a year earlier, is making a bid to repeat as a Weyburn trustee. He will be challenged by Bruce Wagner, who served as a Subdivision 6 trustee four years ago, and Melanie Gorenson, an office manager in Weyburn.
Toth said the vote for the Weyburn seat will be conducted through the Weyburn municipal government so the only polling stations she will have to set up will be in the Subdivision 3 riding.
Others returning to the table through acclamation are Carol Flynn in Subdivision 1 which includes communities of Moosomin, Wapella and Rocanville; Harold Laich, in Subdivision 2, Wawota, Maryfield, Manor, Carlyle and Arcola; and Keating.
Also being acclaimed are incumbent Audrey Trombley in Subdivision 5 which serves the communities of Midale, Macoun, Stoughton and Fillmore. Trombley is the current board chairwoman. Elwood White in Subdivision 6 is another incumbent who retains a seat through acclamation. He represents the communities of Yellow Grass, Gladmar, Pangman, Ogema and Oungre.
It was noted earlier that incumbent Pam Currie and newcomer Shari Sutter will be Estevan’s representatives at the SECPSD board table. They are also declared elected through acclamation since Estevan is assigned two seats on the board, the same as Weyburn.
Toth said in the previous general election staged in 2012, there were three subdivisions where elections had to be held and they were carried out with a $30,000 budget. She said this time, with only one subdivision election on the slate, the budget should be less than the 2012 funding allocation.
