It was a closer race than Jodi Lloyd would have preferred, but the trustee was returned to the Simcoe County District School Board table Monday night.
Lloyd defeated challenger and former trustee Debra Edwards to win the Orillia, Ramara and Severn seat with 6,881 votes. Edwards received 5,485.
“I’m very pleased,” Lloyd said. “Until you run in an election, I don’t think there’s a real appreciation of how much work it is.”
That is particularly true for trustee candidates, she said, as they often face greater voter apathy while covering larger areas than those represented by municipal councillors. Lloyd took part in nine all-candidates events across the three municipalities.
Still, Simcoe County seems much more interested in school board elections than many other parts of the province, she said.
“They certainly value the role of a trustee in this area. It stands out in Simcoe County,” she said. “The engagement with the trustees and the trustee role is far different than in others areas.”
Edwards, who lost her bid for re-election in 2014 to Lloyd, gave the incumbent a run for her money, which didn’t surprise Lloyd.
“Deb was trustee for a long time,” she said. “She dedicated a lot of time and effort to the trustee role, so there’s some recognition there.”
Edwards represented Orillia from 1988 to 2014.
“It’s a testament to her dedication to the role and to the students of this area,” Lloyd said.
The two offered different views and priorities throughout the campaign, particularly when it came to the provincial government. While Edwards was accepting of the province’s decision to suspend the sex education portion of the health and physical education curriculum, Lloyd wanted it kept in place.
Navigating the next term under the Progressive Conservative government – which has already frozen education development charges and cancelled the Parents Reaching Out grants – will not be easy, Lloyd said.
“The next four years will be challenging. We’ll be asked to do more with less,” she said. “We have to make smart decisions and keep students at the focus of every decision that’s made.”
It’s been more than a year since the board has been asked by the Ministry of Education to submit its list of capital priorities. That is usually done annually. With the board having identified a need for a new elementary school in west Orillia, Lloyd is hoping that project won’t be in jeopardy.
“We’ll have to proceed cautiously,” she said.
All of the board’s collective agreements will come up for renewal in August 2019, and Lloyd feels that could also present some challenges.
“It could be a period of unsettled times.”
She believes she is up to the task, saying, “I like a challenge.”
The breakdown of votes in each municipality Lloyd was elected to represent is as follows:
Orillia
Lloyd: 3,687
Edwards: 2,996
Ramara
Lloyd: 1,911
Edwards: 1,285
Severn
Lloyd: 1,283
Edwards: 1,204
