South Shore Regional School Board election – Queens County

District 1

Donna Wamboldt

Donna Wamboldt, having worked 15 years with the South Shore District School Board before resigning in 2004, learned a lot about the system.

“I’ve witnessed first hand the everyday challenges faced by students, staff and parents in providing quality education.” She is running for the District 1 school board seat.

She was a custodian and bus driver. Now, she is the General Manager of the Hank Snow Country Music Centre, where she also volunteers her time. She left the board to pursue a two-year business administration program and a medical transcription program.

While working for the board, she was highly involved in the Canadian Union of Public Employees through, for example, the Labour Management Committee, two rounds of negotiations, the Chemical Cleaning Committee for a Safe Environment, and she was the Local 964 secretary and Acting President.

By Mark Roberts

Allan Foster

Life long Liverpool resident Allan Foster is running for the school board in District 1.

Foster worked at Bowaters for 37 years, and has taken an interest in running for school board after working for them for the past few years.

He took over from Terry Doucette as coordinator for the Nova Scotia International Student Exchange program after Doucette stepped down, and has also taken students in himself for a number of years.

In Liverpool he coached baseball for 10 to 12 years, and also stepped up to coach curling when his kids needed a coach.

“I want to work to help Queens County citizens,” he says.

By Nick Moase

District 2



Karen MacLeod

Karen MacLeod wants to bring her 25 years experience with the provincial government to the school board.

“I think I would be a benefit to the people with my knowledge about how the provincial and municipal governments work.”

MacLeod has been a resident of Liverpool for the past 40 years, and worked as a property assessor until retiring five years ago. She now works part time as secretary of Zion United Church, when not spending time with her grandson.

She feels she has the time to listen to the people and represent them well at the school board.

“I intend to do the best I can for the people, based on what the Education Act will allow me. (As representative) you take people’s issues to the board and you do what you can.”

By Nick Moase



Butch MacLeod

Butch MacLeod wants to invest more time into the community, and one way he wants to do it is through the South Shore Regional School Board.

The retired Stenpro assistant manager owns Veinot’s Print with his wife, Region of Queens Councillor Susan MacLeod.

MacLeod is part of the international student exchange program, past president of the Liverpool Lion’s Club, and is very involved with Queens County SeaFest.

He says that something not a lot of people know is that he was the founder of Privateer Days when he was president of the Lion’s Club. One of his projects at that time was to get a festival to Liverpool in the summer, and it evolved into Privateer Days.

Part of his drive to run for school board stems from his granddaughter, who is growing up in Liverpool. He wants to see schools stay open and that they continue to be run properly.

If elected, he wants to find out the issues from the district and take it from there.”

By Nick Moase

They are also running against incumbent Annette Hartlen, who couldn’t be reached for comment.

District 3

Wayne Wentzell

Wayne Wentzell worked as a land surveyor for 20 years with Robert Hunt, and then two years as an engineer at Bowaters before starting his own company.

His company, South Shore Home Construction, has won many housing industry awards for their construction.

He has worked with the Milton Community Association, was a past president of the South Shore Homebuilders Association and a past president of the Nova Scotia Homebuilders Association.

He says keeping community schools is a priority.

“I had 3 children who grew up in Milton, all went to Milton school and received a great education. I think we need to keep schools in our community. I want to see first hand why, and how we can stop (schools leaving).”

By Nick Moase



Elliott Payzant

Elliot Payzant was first elected to the school board in 1994, and ever since has worked hard to keep schools from closing.

Payzant worked as a teacher for 28 years, as well as 13 years with N.F. Douglas Lumber in Caledonia. In June of 2006 he was elected as president of the Nova Scotia School Boards and served for the maximum term of two years.

It was as president that he helped get the new Greenfield community school going.

“In capacity of president I encouraged the minister of education to take a careful look at that school, and encouraged the people of Greenfield to go ahead and do it, to make it happen, and now it’s happened.”

The next issue Payzant will address is the Milton school.

“I want to make sure we do what’s best and that we recognize the kind of program going on in Milton, and that we be very careful before we close that school and try and move that program for the kids in that school.

“It’s a program recognized province wide for its quality and it’s one of those things we have to protect.

“In the immediate future for sure I’m going to be working to keep the Milton school open.”

By Nick Moase