The School District 57 board of trustees will elect a new chair and vice-chair on November 3 and a very familiar name will not be on the ballot.
Tim Bennett has announced he will not seek re-election as board chair.
“You aren’t getting rid of me, you just may see me a little less on the news,” he said in a statement to local media. “It has been an honour to serve the district as chair for the past four years and serve as vice-chair for four years prior to that.”
During those eight years his life has changed significantly. He became executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters, which has doubled in size; he became a board member of the B.C. School Trustee Association and “more importantly” became a father to three boys.
“Stepping back will allow me to focus my time a bit more on all those responsibilities but also spend a bit more time focusing on me.”
He said he is looking forward to “re-engaging” more at the board level.
“As board chair, my individual voice gets lost as I am speaking for the board,” he said. “The chair’s job is to facilitate discussion and ensure the meeting is following the rules of order. I look forward to engage in debate in a larger way and making sure I am better using the voice that I was elected to use.”