How can the Dufferin-Peel District Catholic School Board have been in existence since 1969 and never have elected a female chair?
For an organization that prides itself on its openness and on the growing diversity of its student, teaching and administrative populations, that’s a problematic and somewhat embarrassing question to answer.
Of course, there have been many more male trustees than female on the Catholic board over the years, which accounts for part of the reason no woman has broken through.
There certainly have been worthy candidates for the post, however.
I think of long-time Ward 6 and Ward 2 Mississauga Trustee Saundra Glynn, whose formidable intellect was obvious to all. It was probably too obvious to some of her intimidated male colleagues.
Glynn was clearly a competent leader and should have been chair.
More recently, it seemed that long-time Ward 8 Trustee Sally Fallon would inevitably become the first female chair. She was eminently qualified. It never happened and Fallon is now a Justice of the Peace.
Now another long-time female trustee is poised to try to break the male domination at the top of the board.
Esther O’Toole isn’t interested in running for the new Ward 10 seat on city council but she is interested in becoming Dufferin-Peel’s chair. She’s been on the board since 1991, has served on virtually every committee and is now vice-chair.
“If I’m re-elected, I’m going to stand for chair,” O’Toole told me recently. “It’s up to my peers but I really believe I’ve paid my dues.”
Unfortunately for O’Toole, experience shows that, in the patriarchal world of Catholic politics, that might not be enough.