SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
The Yellowknife Education District No. 1 (Yk1) incumbent chairperson retained his seat against a challenge from a past board chair this week.

John Stephenson was elected chair and his challenger, Duff Spence, who had held the position for three years ending in 2012, had to settle for vice-chair after their fellow trustees voted on Tuesday evening

The trustees were sworn in during a ceremony held prior to their first regular meeting since the board elections held Oct. 19. After taking the oath of office, the trustees voted first for a chairperson and then for vice-chair.

Spence's name was the first nominated for the chair's seat, put forward by the board's longest-sitting councillor –Terry Brookes. Stephenson was nominated next by trustee Jay Butler.

District superintendent Metro Huculak collected the ballots in a lid-sealed basket then scrutineers Tram Do, director of corporate services, and Tracy Turk, executive assistant to the superintendent, moved into the kitchen at the Yk1 office to count the votes.

Stephenson was named the winner and the ballots were destroyed. Spence was acclaimed as vice-chair after no other nominations were presented. He took his name plate over to sit at Stephenson's right arm, where former-vice chair Heather Clarke used to sit.

On Wednesday, Brookes said he was going to put his own name in the hat for the chair position, but he said he had second thoughts because he feels he's able to affect more change from a trustee's perspective.

Now in his 22nd year on the Yk1 board, Brookes – who has served alongside both Stephenson and Spence at the helm – said he nominated Spence because he thinks the former chair will bring a wave of change to the board's operations.

During the meeting Brookes brought up the issue of certain committees that he said have outlived their original purpose.

He said the French committee was struck when the district was phasing in its current French curriculum and now that the committee's work is complete it has little to do.

The IT committee is in the same boat, he said. It is officially a committee by name, but doesn't have terms of reference – board issued directives telling members what they should be doing.

Brookes said having committees that don't have projects to work on is complicating the board's processes and it is the job of the board to iron those complications out.

"We're getting too many people's fingers in the same pie," said Brookes.

He said he nominated Spence – who took time away from Yk1 in 2012 before making an unsuccessful run for the legislative assembly – because they see eye to eye on the matter of "tidying up" board activities.

Brookes said he was surprised Spence wasn't chosen as the chair, but wouldn't elaborate.

Spence, on the other hand, said wasn't surprised he wasn't chosen as chair.

"I think John will be a great chair. He has things to offer," he said. "I felt I could offer some different things. We elect a chair every year and we'll see in a year."

Butler nominated Stephenson because he likes his style. Stephenson is a patient moderator who keeps the board on topic and doesn't let any trustees dominate the conversation, Butler stated in an e-mail to Yellowknifer.

Stephenson said he is pleased to be back at the head of the table for a third year. He said he wasn't surprised Spence was nominated to challenge him.

"I knew ahead of time he was interested," said Stephenson. "Duff is a veteran trustee."

He said he and Brookes have disagreed on committee-related business in the past. He said when he struck the healthy schools committee two years ago, Brookes criticized him for including non-Yk1 people to the table, such as Yellowknife Catholic Schools assistant superintendent John Bowden and other community members. Stephenson said sitting board members have accomplished good things during their time as trustees despite any differences of opinion they may share.

"We'll work it out," he said.

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