Parents disgruntled by closures hope to become trustees

Several parents who became disgruntled with the Rainbow District School Board after it decided to close their children's schools in 2010 are running against incumbents.

That includes John Hamalainen, who is running against incumbent Gord Santala, along with Frank Deburger and Jennifer Michaud, in Area 1, Anita Gibson, who is running against incumbent Tyler Campbell in Area 2 and Dylan Gibson, who is running against incumbent Doreen Dewar and Jessica Joy in Area 5.

Anita and Dylan Gibson, a married couple, were banned from the board's main office and high schools — but not its elementary schools — in 2012 after videotaping trustees' meetings and making multiple presentations.

Given that the trespass order has not yet been rescinded, this could make for an interesting situation for the Rainbow board should they be elected as trustees.

Northern Life has requested interviews with both the Gibsons and the Rainbow board about the situation.

With regards to the Sudbury Catholic District School Board, it's interesting to note that long-time trustee and recent provincial Progressive Conservative candidate Paula Peroni has not registered to run as trustee.

Instead, her son Tyler Peroni — who is in his early 20s — has registered to run as trustee in Area 5 against Geraldine Meskell.

Nancy Deni, a parent who complained to Northern Life earlier this year about what she sees as the inadequacy of the province's math curriculum, is running as a Sudbury Catholic trustee against incumbent Barry MacDonald in Area 4.

While some of the trustee races are being hotly contested, there are several candidates that will be acclaimed, as they're the only ones running in their respective areas.

That includes Rainbow board incumbents Dena Morrison and Judy Hunda and newcomer Judy Kosmerly, Sudbury Catholic incumbents Ray Desjardins, Michael Bellmore and Jody Cameron, and French public incumbents Robert Boileau, Claude Giroux, Jean-Marc Aubin, Raymond Lebrecque and newcomer Francis Boudreau.

For a full listing of trustee candidates, visit www.greatersudbury.ca/inside-city-hall/election-2014/.