After an election campaign dominated by public safety, the UNA budget and Campus Vision 2050, six new members and one incumbent have been elected to the UNA Board of Directors.
Voting took place from Nov. 4 to Nov. 26, and the results were announced by the UNA on the final day of voting. The following are the directors-elect from Wesbrook Village: Eagle Glassheim (incumbent), Yanbo (Paul) Li and Evan Luo. From Hampton Place, Ronald Bourgeois and Jake Wiebe, and from Hawthorn Place, Michael Kerns and Sandy Song were voted in by electors.
Based on the results, bylaw 5.18 – which seeks to ensure all neighbourhoods under the jurisdiction of the UNA are represented in the makeup of the board did not apply. A total of nine candidates ran in the election which featured a new electronic voting system implemented by the UNA. An all-candidates forum took place on Nov. 14 at the Wesbrook Community Centre, which was attended by approximately 50 people.
Ultimately, the election saw a voter turnout of 16.7 per cent with 1002 votes being cast. This was a two-percent decline in turnout from the last election in 2021, which was considered an outlier due to the pandemic. According to non-profit organization rules, UNA society members were eligible to vote in the election, with membership available to any resident over the age of 18.
Director-elect Sandy Song emerged with the most votes at 566, representing 12.5 per cent of all votes cast. However, there was only a difference of 144 votes between her and the ninth place candidate.
A new board chair will be voted in by directors during the first meeting of the incoming board, which is scheduled to take place on Dec. 10.
DANIEL LI IS A GRADE 11 STUDENT PASSIONATE ABOUT POLITICS AND JOURNALISM.