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Halton Hills' rookie trustee elected chair TIM WHITNELL Special to The IFP Trustees with the Halton District School Board have elected a rookie to lead them at the start of a new four-year term. First-year trustee Gillian Tuck Kutarna of Halton Hills defeated veteran board member Peggy Russell of Burlington for board chair for 2006-07, in a vote conducted during the inaugural meeting and swearing in of the new board last week. The results of the balloting by the 11 trustees were not made public, as is the board's custom. The position of board vice-chair went to second-term Burlington trustee Janie Hames, who was acclaimed. Tuck Kutarna would not comment on whether she was surprised to beat out the experienced Russell but did say that all trustees discussed the process previously and that she knew she would be going up against Russell for the chair's job. "Seven out of the 11 trustees are new, so we'll be relying on the veteran members of the board to help us settle in," said Tuck Katarna. "It's a great new group with a lot of enthusiasm and a wide array of experience and I'm very excited because everyone on the board has expressed a commitment to working together." A family and special education lawyer in Georgetown, Tuck Kutarna said in the past she handled clients connected to the Halton school board. The potential for conflict of interest means she will not handle such cases in her current role with the board. "I expect to carry a reduced caseload," she said. Married to Jim Kutarna and a mother of four children in Grades 3-9 in the Halton public school system, the 44-year-old Tuck Kutarna stressed teamwork and accountability in her inaugural address to the board and the public audience. "We're in the service industry. Our clients are children and their parents. Our only job is to meet their need for an excellent education. See ROOKIE, pg. 3 Help fill a kettle The annual Georgetown and Acton Salvation Army Kettle campaigns are in full swing and Georgetown Salvation Army Captain Michael Simpson said approximately $10,000 has been collected already for the Georgetown campaign which has a target of $46,000. For details see page 8. Photo by Ted Brown