| durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, August 25, 2022 | | 14 JOIN US FOR A special "Time Capsule" big reveal with our beloved Mayor Adrian Foster CKDO radio live remote • Petting zoo • Sample chef-inspired menu dining Live entertainment • Draws for prizes • Exclusive offers 1460 Durham Regional Hwy 2, Courtice, ON L1E 3C4 | WhiteCliffeTerracesRetirement.com White Cliffe Terrace Retirement Residence Call today to RSVP (905) 579-0800 Saturday, September 10th, 1:00-3:00 p.m. AutumnFest Open House The Durham District School Board (DDSB) is looking at a big trustee shakeup this fall, with seven out of 11 current trustees not seeking re-election. That includes three long-term trustees: Paul Crawford, who has spent more than 20 years as a DDSB trustee; Chris Braney, who has been a DDSB trustee for 16 years; and Michael Barrett, who has been a DDSB trustee for 19 years and is now running for a trustee seat in Clarington. The DDSB already saw some trustee reshuffling this term, with multiple resignations. Former Oshawa trustee Ashley Noble resigned in October 2020, citing concerns about transparency and decisions made by the board. Linda Stone was appointed to fill the vacant seat -- and then resigned herself in May 2022 amid controversy around comments she made on the board's human rights policy, as well as tweets and retweets about transgender people, pronouns and gender identity. Stone is now running again for a DDSB seat in Oshawa. Ajax trustee Patrice Barnes resigned in June 2022 following her provincial election win as MPP for Ajax. Incumbents generally have a significant advantage in school board races. In the last municipal election in 2018, there were seven new trustees elected in Durham Region out of 25 seats up for grabs. The Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) saw only one new trustee elected in 2018 -- Morgan Ste. Marie won an Oshawa seat vacated by Theresa Corless, who ran unsuccessfully for Oshawa council. Durham also saw three trustee acclamations in 2018 -- Jim McCafferty, the incumbent for the DCDSB's Pickering seat, ran unopposed and was acclaimed, as were the two trustees representing Clarington at the Peterborough Victoria Northumberland and Clarington Catholic District School Board, Linda Ainsworth and Kevin MacKenzie. This year, there will be no trustees acclaimed. None of the trustee races are unopposed, although some races are small, with just two candidates. In the race for the DDSB's single seat representing Scugog, Uxbridge and Brock, incumbent Carolyn Morton is seeking re-election, facing off against former DDSB trustee Gordon Baxter. The race for the Durham Catholic seat representing the three north Durham municipalities also has two contenders -- incumbent Richard Damianopoulos, who was appointed to his seat in 2020, is facing off against Tim Robins, a retired DCDSB superintendent. The most crowded trustee race can be found in Oshawa, where 15 candidates are vying for three DDSB seats, with no incumbents among them. Another packed race can be found in Clarington, where 10 candidates are competing for three KPRDSB seats. The board currently has two seats representing Clarington, and a third has been added for this election. Incumbents Cathy Abraham and Gail Nyberg are among the candidates, along with Tenzin Shomar, a former KPRDSB student trustee. HOW DURHAM'S SCHOOL TRUSTEE RACES ARE SHAPING UP JILLIAN FOLLERT jfoller t@durhamregion.com NEWS SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT DURHAMREGION.COM