By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

confusing start to term

Red Deer Public board of trustees rescinds initial vote for vice-chair position after ‘misrecord’

Nov 14, 2025 | 3:11 PM

The chair and vice-chair for the new board of Red Deer Public Schools has been decided, but not without some confusion and controversy.

In an Oct. 31 organizational meeting, which followed the Oct. 20 municipal elections, Trustee Nicole Buchanan was once again elected chair by her fellow board members.

Then, it appeared, Trustee Angela Sommers had been chosen by her peers to be vice-chair.

Chairs and vice-chairs of course only have one vote, but do have the privilege of taking part in provincial executive meetings, and assisting the superintendent with crafting each meeting’s agenda.

Then on Nov. 12, during the board’s first regular meeting, members agreed, though not unanimously, to add an item to the agenda which would see them conduct a revote.

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The reason: According to a statement from Red Deer Public Schools, after the board’s seven votes were collected on Oct. 31, they were misrecorded, and Sommers was announced as the winner.

“Upon discovery, the board was immediately notified. In keeping with board policy and the board’s commitment to clear, accurate and transparent governance, a motion for a new vote was brought forward during the regular meeting on November 12, 2025. Following the acceptance of the motion, a second vote was conducted to ensure the will of the board was represented for the position of vice-chair,” the statement reads.

“The new election for the position of vice-chair was done in accordance with Board Policy 7 – Board Operations. The policy states: ‘The vice-chair shall be elected by the board at its organizational meeting, and thereafter at any time determined by the board, to hold office at the pleasure of the board.”

Trustee Dianne Macaulay, who served as vice-chair prior to the election and was nominated both times by Trustee Jim Watters, was elected as vice-chair on the second vote. As the division notes, the same was the case on the first vote.

Prior to the second vote on Nov. 12, Sommers, who nominated herself for vice-chair, cited an Oct. 31 “procedural irregularity,” as well as the retrieval of ballots after being discarded, a lack of transparency in promoting the meeting, and opined that a revote would not only be out of order, but would compound the problem rather than solve it.

Sommers called for Policy 7 to be reviewed and amended so that it has clear, procedural safeguards. Because it was deemed the revote could go ahead, that won’t occur at this time, the division says.

In arguing the revote could go ahead, Chair Buchanan then cited Robert’s Rules of Order, which are alluded to within the division’s board policies.

The revote was held, in which the tally was 5-2 — Sommers and Dalstra dissenting. Both times the board voted, it was done by secret ballot.

Following the revote, the board agreed to not destroy the ballots for one month.

Trustee Sommers declined to comment as the board, like many others, has a rule that only the chair speaks on the board’s behalf.