Wards 3 and 4: Important Information for Voters!

As mentioned in a previous blog, there is some confusion around the intentions of public school trustee candidate Tanveer Taj. Mr. Taj is running against Lynn Ferguson, the incumbent trustee in Wards 3 and 4. CAPSC has had trouble connecting with Mr. Taj. He missed our forum and did not return our questionnaire - we have done our best to find information regarding his platform but have been unsuccessful.

CAPSC was finally able to connect with him the morning after he missed the ward 3 and 4 forum. In that phone conversation, he stated that his intention was to withdraw his name but he missed the deadline. We asked for written confirmation and he sent an email stating only that he would not be campaigning.

In the interest of providing our parents with information to make an informed vote, CAPSC placed a call this morning to Barb Clifford, the City of Calgary's Chief Returning Officer. She confirmed that his name would be on the ballot. However, he had the option to file a disclaimer and notice would be posted at all polling stations. Mr. Taj, in a phone conversation with Ms. Clifford this past Friday, declined to file that disclaimer. The disclaimer requires the candidate to state that if elected they would not take office. Mr. Taj plans to take office and sit as a public school board trustee if elected.

Wards 3 & 4 Trustee Forum: Make Sure You Vote!

The Trustee Forum for Wards 3 & 4 was held Monday night. Only one candidate was in attendance - the incumbent, Lynn Ferguson. Lynn took questions from the audience and a good discussion was had.

CAPSC did make contact with Tanveer Taj on nomination day but he did not return from filing his papers to pick up our candidate package. We made every effort to contact him since but we were not successful until the morning after the forum. Tanveer has told us he had changed his mind about running for the office of public school trustee shortly after he filed his papers. Unfortunately, he did not remove his name from the unofficial list within the 24 hour grace period so he was now on the official list. This means his name will be on the ballot. Therefore, it is important to get out and vote for public school trustee for Wards 3 & 4 to ensure a positive outcome.

Update:

Sent: Wednesday, October 06, 2010 10:34 AM
Subject: ward 3,4

Hi Leslie,
As per discussed please note I am not taking part in any campaign for ward 3,4 Public School Board Trustee.

Thank you.


Tanveer Taj