Abbotsford school trustee Rhonda Pauls has taken a position with an organization in the Maritimes, but says that she still may run for re-election in the fall.
She accepted a role as executive director with Baseball PEI earlier in the year, as was announced by the organization back in February on their website. The story states that Pauls, who has been highly involved in baseball development in this province, was to start with Baseball PEI in April.
Pauls confirmed to the Abbotsford News that she accepted “a contract to work remotely during the pandemic,” and that she is doing so.
She has not missed any of the Abbotsford board of education’s regular meetings, and has been attending events as she usually would. Trustees are permitted to teleconference for meetings, but this year, Pauls has only used that option once.
Trustee work is considered part-time work, and the remuneration in Abbotsford is $25,810 per year. Board chair receives $32,270 per year and as vice chair Pauls receives $28,400 per year.
“We (trustees) all have jobs, and things changed over the pandemic and I decided to be away for awhile,” she told the News. And her new role in PEI doesn’t mean she isn’t keeping an eye to her future in Abbotsford.
“Like everyone else, I will make a formal announcement when we are closer to election time based on what I decide to do then,” she confirmed.
The News has reached out to all of Abbotsford’s seven trustees and none have confirmed yet whether they plan to run in the fall election. So far, just four candidates have announced they intend to run for a seat on council. They are Dao Tran, Tom Norton, Les Barkman and Bharathi Sandhu.
There are no declared candidates for mayor yet. However, the nomination period doesn’t begin until Aug. 30. General voting day is Oct. 15.
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NOTE: An incorrect figure was published in the June 16 edition of the Abbotsford News regarding trustee remuneration. The Abbotsford News apologizes for this error and any confusion it may have caused.
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