Small business owner Abby Zaitley wins Ward 4 public school board trustee seat, city says

Abby Zaitley has won the Ward 4 Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) trustee byelection, according to uncertified results on the City of Hamilton's website.

Zaitley told CBC Hamilton in an email she's "incredibly honoured and so grateful" to the community, adding that she's "ready to get to work."

As of Tuesday morning's tally, Zaitley won by a landslide, compared to other candidates, with 263 votes, said the city. She was one of eight candidates running for the role. 

The second place contender, Larry Pattison Jr., had 54 votes. 

The city said in a news release that 473 voters had cast their ballot on this election. Voter turnout was 2.6 per cent, the city said in an email. Overall voter turnout for the 2022 municipal election was 35.38 per cent.

There were 260 votes in person and 213 online. The city was testing the online voting system, which allowed people to vote from their own devices between last Thursday and Monday. 

Results will be certified later this week by the city clerk, the city said. 

In the 2022 election, 6,601 votes were cast for three HWDSB trustee candidates in Ward 4. Longtime trustee Ray Mulholland was reelected then with 3,133 votes. 

The Ward 4 spot opened in September after Mulholland stepped down.

Zaitley posted a brief message on Instagram Monday evening following the news, saying she won.

Zaitley said she was surrounded by friends and family and volunteers when results started to come in on Monday evening. She said it was "overwhelming and gratifying" to know that her and her team's work led to a victory.

Before her win, Zaitley was co-chair of a school council.

She said Tuesday morning her top priorities in her new position will include "enhancing communication and transparency between the board and the community, ensuring that every student's voice is heard, and addressing critical issues like mental health, bullying prevention, and retaining quality educators."

Zaitley said during her campaign that she's looking to bring her problem-solving, budget-management and relationship skills to the board of trustees.

She also said she would advocate for better funding from the province. 

Zaitley said her win is "deeply personal" and that she's "eager to start this new chapter of serving our community."