First challenger emerges for Westside school board seat
Chantelle Desrosiers is the first challenger to officially announce her candidacy for the position of trustee with the Central Okanagan School District. The University of Alberta graduate and mother of two will seek the posi-tion of West Kelowna's lone repre-sentative on the seven-person board. Bom in Grand Prairie, Alta., she has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and a Bachelor of Commerce in Finance from U of A. Following university, she worked in the financial world. She and her husband Man Whitt have resided in West Kelowna for the past nine years. Desrosiers has been a parent volun-teer for the past nine years and her positions include serving as president of the parents advisory committee (PAC) at Neil Bruce Middle School. She has faithfully attended board and committee meetings for the past six months. Transparency, she said, will be an issue in the Oct. 20 municipal elec-tion. "Parents and the community have to feel that their trustee and the board is listening to them: she said in an interview. "You can not expect people to put faith in the board if the board is not willing to consider ideas and be trans-parent about what's going on." She said there are several issues related directly to the Westside. "For West Kelowna, there are going to be a lot of changes. There's recon-figuration happening in September. French immersion and early French immersion are going to be another big thing, because it's a pretty big change for the middle school," she said. Desrosiers has never run for politi-cal office before, but looks forward to the experience. In a press release, announcing her candidacy, she said the focus must al-ways remain on the students. "As a parent, I am grateful for the many teachers and administrators who create strong and dynamic environments for students to flourish in, and I know that parents, educators, and community members have concerns and ideas regarding our schools,” she wrote.
“As an elected board member, I would be committed to encouraging dialogue and taking input from all interested parties before coming to a decision.
“I believe it is the responsibility of the trustees to provide leadership and guidance that assists students of diverse abilities, needs and backgrounds, so they can all reach their full potential.”
“As an elected board member, I would be committed to encouraging dialogue and taking input from all interested parties before coming to a decision.
“I believe it is the responsibility of the trustees to provide leadership and guidance that assists students of diverse abilities, needs and backgrounds, so they can all reach their full potential.”
Julia Fraser, the incumbent for the Westside, has not revealed her intentions yet. Chris Gorman, who represents Kelowna, has said he will not seek re-election.
To contact Desrosiers, email: vote.desrosiers.2018@gmail.com.
She can also be found on Twitter (@vote.desrosiers.2018) and on Facebook. Her campaign website is desrosiers-vote2018.weebly.com.