Dan Coulter is the first to put his name forward for the Chilliwack school trustee byelection this November.
Coulter, a mature student at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV) and president of the Chilliwack-Hope BC NDP constituency association announced Wednesday he'd be running for school trustee.
Coulter placed eighth in the 2011 school trustee election with 2,120 votes; 385 votes shy of earning a spot on the board.
"Given the many pressures on public education I would like to bring a progressive voice to the board," Coulter told The Progress.
"I am concerned with the province's funding and I'd like to be an advocate for the school district. I'd also like to be in on the tough decisions [the school board] has to make."
Coulter was a millwright in the sawmill industry until a workplace accident in 1999 left him wheelchair bound.
He is in his last year at UFV and has been approved for educational funding by Workers Compensation Board (WCB) to enter the teacher education program.
Coulter told The Progress he had intended all along to run in the next school trustee election in 2014.
In an unofficial poll of the 17 failed candidates in the 2011 election, The Progress has learned Jack Bass, Kirsten Brandreth, Nicki Redekop, Audrey Stollings, Vern Tompke, and Neil Whitley do not intend to run in the byelection. Karen Jarvis is undecided. Tammy Brown, Karen Conway, Don Davis, Joey Hagerman, Brett Lawrason, Les Mitchell, David Russell, Harold Schmidt, and Darlene Wahlstrom did not respond.
The nomination period is from 9 a.m. Oct. 15 to 4 p.m. Oct. 25.
Nomination packages should be available at the City of Chilliwack later this week.
Related story: Chilliwack school board sets Nov. 30 byelection date