The first school board meeting of the 2005-2006 school year was tonight and even hours later (not to mention many dozen emails!) Im still of two minds on it. The items on the agenda were relatively benign but its hard to ignore the strong under current of the imminent election lying underneath it all.
After much agonizing I finally decided over the summer to run for re-election (see www.vangreens.bc.ca for the official announcement). The impact of all this on my family was definitely a consideration but there is also the ambivalence about where my change the world energy is best spent. When I was first elected I really did believe the ambitious agenda Id laid out for myself was doable in three years and it's hard to conceded to myself it's not finished yet.
Not that there haven't been a lot of successes it felt fantastic tonight to pass formal motions on Walk to School Week, to talk about lobbying the province for money to support expanded funding for phys ed facilities and to hear the in camera items reported out in public session but I do feel like theres work left to do. The tone adpoted by our provincial bargaining agent, BCPSEA, is an immediate thing that springs to mind as needing some work. More broadly and at a fundamental level, when I do step off the board Id like to know that every single person, no matter what role they have in Vancouvers schools, feels like they have a voice and accessible avenues to use it. That and the many positive notes, calls and personal expressions of encouragement that it's possible to get to the place I imagine the district can go, makes it worth the effort to run for re-election.
Of course when I leave is not entirely up to me but rather up to the people of Vancouver. Its a daunting task to muster back together 50,000 + votes, especially when youre running outside the big parties who bring big material resources and communications footprints to bear. Im also starting to see why more politicians start and fail at blogs during an election campaign. Between full time work, school board duties and the campaign I feel like Im running a hundred miles an hour. Since last Friday, Ive been at 27 different meetings and events relating to all three roles.
But Im also really jazzed up by the election work. My friends think its perverse but even without an election campaign, I love to talk to people on the street, on the bus, waiting in line at the store to hear more about where they are at and what issues matter to them. Being able to knock on their doors and talk to them is just an added bonus! Plus you never have a more focused public debate around issues that matter such as public education, than during an election campaign. Im really looking forward to it but seasoned campaigner that I am, Ive already pencilled November 20 as a sleep in day followed by the post election blog. Stay tuned.
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