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MONDAY, JUNE 25,2001
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Record turnout in byelection
More than 3,000 voters cast ballots, choosing McLeod, Marrelli and Hall
by PAUL STRICKLAND Citizen staff
Fred McLeod, Michelle Marrelli and Lyn Hall are the winners of Saturday’s byelection to fill three vacant trustee seats, according to unofficial results.
More than 3,000 Prince George and district residents voted in the byelection, more than double the number seen in past byelections. “In terms of byelections, we’ve never exceeded 1,200 before,” said Harry Hufty, chief election officer.
The heaviest turnout was at the voting places set up in Southridge and Lakewood elementary schools, he said.
At Lakewood voters who had cast their ballots and were trying to leave had difficulty backing out to exit because of the steady stream of motorists driving into the school’s parking lot in order to vote.
There were many reasons for the greater interest in this byelection, Hufty said. These include the number of candidates who let their names
stand (19), the spinoff of interest in elections resulting from the recent provincial election and the fact three trustee positions were open.
“Normally in a byelection there is only one person to be replaced,” Hufty said. “Many people believed there was an opportunity to change the direction of the board with the three new places.”
But the turnout in the byelection vote, while gratifying, did not approach the level of voter interest in a general election, Hufty said. In the 1999 regular school board election
17.000 people cast ballots, and in the 1996 election of trustees, more than
20.000 voted, he said.
In unofficial results released early Sunday, McLeod received 1,144 votes, Marrelli 1,061 and Hall 1,057.
John Rustad was fourth with 784 votes, and Owen Corcoran was fifth at 778.
“It’s exciting,” Marrelli said Sunday. “I feel extremely excited. I’m eager to start working on the issues.
McLEOD
MARRELLI
HALL
“I look forward to being able to act — to do some research and find out what’s happening,” she said. “As a candidate, there’s not the opportunity to do research.
“I’m looking forward to working with the new trustees as well as the current trustees,” Marrelli said.
Hall said he felt good about the re-
sults of the by-election.
“I’m elated,” he said Sunday. “There was quite a difference in the votes among the top three.
“I’m really pleased and quite humbled by the amount of support I got,” Hall said.
McLeod could not be reached for comment Sunday.
S.D. 57 results
Fred McLeod 1,144
Michelle Marrelli 1,061
Lyn Hall 1,057
Gordon Bliss 418
Vic Bowman 662
John Buchanan 330
Carmela Canino 326
Owen Corcoran 778
Kelly Gagnon 99
Carlene Keddie 639
Kathy Kidd 254
Debra Lesiuk 121
David G. Low 115
Shawn McLaughlin 90
Jenny Mohr 126
Alexis Muirhead 166
John Rustad 784
Linda St. Arnault 105
Reg Toth 30
School District 57 chairman happy trustees at strength
by PAUL STRICKLAND Citizen staff
School District 57 board chair Bill Christie is pleased with the results of Saturday’s byelection.
“I’m very happy we’re back up to seven trustees and able to share the workload,” Christie said in an interview Sunday.
Christie was commenting on the fact that, after three resignations this spring, the board was down to four members who had an added workload as a result.
They also had to be careful to sched-
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TODAY
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ule all board meetings for dates and times when all four remaining trustees could be certain to attend and maintain a quorum.
Some meetings for which the dates had been set last fall had to be postponed, sometimes twice, when it was found one or more of the four trustees might be out of town on the originally scheduled date.
The byelection was necessary after three trustees resigned this spring.
Trustee Doug Walls moved to White Rock last year and submitted his resignation in April, Trustee Shirley Bond resigned in late May after winning a seat as B.C. Liberal MLA in Prince George-Mount Robson, and Trustee Greg Zimmerman submitted his resignation May 14.
“I think we have three new trustees who are qualified,” Christie said Sunday.
“They have a mandate, and I look forward to working with them.”
A school board meeting originally scheduled for Tuesday to hold swearing-in ceremonies for the new trustees has been postponed to July 3, Christie said.
Citizen photo by Brent Braaten
ALL THAT JAZZ — Members of the Judy Russell Echainement Dance Studio perform a lyrical jazz dance choreographed by Kristy Brookes titled Rush, on Saturday night at Vanier Hall. It was part of Space Jam Studio, Year-End Jazz, Stage, and Tap Recital. More than 400 students performed in 36 dance numbers. The studio also held its ballet recital Friday night and Saturday afternoon preformed Sleeping Beauty.
Nurses still have right to refuse 0T — union
by PAUL STRICKLAND Citizen staff
Nurses continue to have the right under their collective agreement to decline overtime if they decide it is unreasonable, says a local representative of the B.C. Nurses’ Union.
The contract says the employer — i.e., a hospital — may request nurses work a reasonable amount of overtime, said Birthe Cisecki, chair of the BCNU’s northeast region.
“It’s up to the individual nurse whether it’s reasonable to him or her,” Cisecki said. For example, a nurse can turn down a request to work an overtime shift if he or she decides they are so tired they can’t safely care for patients.
Today will tell whether enough nurses are available for beds and operating rooms that Prince George Regional Hospital may open, Cisecki said.
“When they try to have all the operating rooms open, they’ll have to see if there are enough nurses there,” she said Sunday. “You need the nurses to look after patients before and after surgery.
“Also, it’s great to have extra beds, but if there are not enough nurses to look after the patients, you can’t put anyone in there,” she said.
PGRH has about 500 nurses on its list, there are 100 more at the North-
ern Interior Health Unit and also about 20 in long-term care facilities — Simon Fraser, Parkside and Rainbow lodges. .
Nurses are not angry at patients, and they do not resent local employers like PGRH or the NIHU, she said. “They are angry at the government,” Cisecki said.
“If they’re working, they give 155% to their patients,” she added.
Meanwhile, in Vancouver, the new president of the B.C. Medical Association says tough choices will have to be made in how health-care services are delivered for maximum efficiency.
“We need to start asking the tough questions about what can and can’t continue to be covered within the publicly funded health-care system,” said Dr. Heidi Oetter, elected at the doctors’ annual meeting on the weekend.
“Some people won’t like some of the choices but fundamental change is urgent and essential,” said Oetter.
Oetter, 41, said she wants the government to establish pilot projects involving the contracting out of minor surgical procedures to private clinics.
Oetter said that with more than 70,000 British Columbians currently waiting for surgery, other procedures, such as cardiac stress tests, could be done in clinics rather than in hospitals.
With files from Canadian Press
Predators pluck Hamhuis
Dan Hamhuis spent the weekend in Miami, close to his future home in the NHL.
That’s where the Nashville Predators made the Prince George Cougars defenceman their top pick (12th overall) Saturday in the 2001 NHL entry draft.
“If he develops as he’s done so far in juniors, he should be a top-four defenceman for us,” Predators general manager David Poile told reporters at the draft.
“He’s better offensively than a lot of players in our organization and that’s an area we need to improve. We’ve got some guys who play hard but can’t
contribute offensively. He’s got skill and he can contribute offensively.”
Cougars goalie Billy Thompson went in the fifth round, 136th overall, to the Florida Panthers.. Forward Derek Boogaard went in the seventh round, 202nd overall to the Minnesota Wild and forward Dan Baum was picked by the Edmonton Oilers in the seventh round, 215th overall.
The four Cougar players taken in the draft ties the Prince George record set in 1998, the year Blair Betts, lyier Bouck, Scott Myers and Trent Hunter were selected.
More draft coverage on pages 9,11 and 12.
Powwow draws 130 dancers
Citizen staff
More than 150 people took part in dance contests at the second annual competition powwow at Massey Place, Friday through Sunday, said organizer Diana Nelson.
About 130 actually competed, while another 20 came just to exhibit dances, she said.
Contestants came mostly from B.C. and Alberta, but some were visiting from as far away as Montana and Wyoming, Nelson said
Dance competition categories included juniors, teens, adults and Golden Age (45 and over).
“The tiny tots didn’t compete,” she said. “They just danced.”
Despite gloomy weather, hundreds watched the events from the stands, and many more were visiting craft tables in the track area. Craft-table owners came from Smithers, Fort St. John and Williams Lake as well as Prince George.
A drum contest also took place during the powwow, Nelson said in an interview Sunday.
“The drummers were judged at the same time as the dancers,” she said.
The competition powwow was sponsored by the Native Friendship Centre.
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