David William O'Brien

Candidate for school board trustee in the 2026 Barrie municipal election. Ex-Trustee

School board trustee, elected 2018; holds no seat now

3 times on the record
1 time elected

Campaign contact

Contact details are from the City's candidates list, except any marked inferred, searched or supplied; hover the mark to see where that detail came from.

We do not reproduce the home addresses the City also publishes.

In their own words

Verbatim, attributed, dated. Every passage below is copied exactly from an archived copy of its source — a campaign website, a news article, or the candidate's own social media post — and links to it. Nothing is paraphrased by this site and no for-or-against label is applied: read the words, follow the link. Passages from news coverage say whether they are the candidate quoted, the reporter's reported speech, or the reporter's characterisation.

Compiled in a research batch dated September 11, 2026, reviewed by hand before publication on October 8, 2026.

Passages are capped at 60 words and listed newest first; undated campaign pages show and sort by the date archived. A candidate with nothing located on an issue is listed as such, with the date their sources were checked; a race is shown only once every candidate in it has been checked. See methodology.

Education

This issue is not going away, and while trustees do not get involved in school operations, we can acknowledge that this is an issue; ask questions and advocate for all schools to be safe welcoming spaces for everyone.

Source: davidwilliamobrien.wixsite.com, Current Issues page, under 'Bullying in Schools', last sentence. Page. Undated; archived September 10, 2026. Official site
While the provincial government has seen increases in the base funding for education, that funding has not kept pace with inflation or the rising costs in 2026 dollars for many of these necessary and underfunded services and supports.

Source: davidwilliamobrien.wixsite.com, Current Issues page, under 'Advocate for more funding', second sentence. Page. Undated; archived September 10, 2026. Official site

Show 4 more passages

Therefore the funds collected no longer cover the cost of future land purchases which are the first steps to building a new school. This needs to change.

Source: davidwilliamobrien.wixsite.com, Current Issues page, under 'C. Need to Increase the Education Development Charges', last two sentences. Page. Undated; archived September 10, 2026. Official site
'Many of the root causes are linked to a lack of funds from the province to provide the necessary supports and staffing needed within our schools,’ says David O'Brien

Source: As quoted in barrietoday.com, Barrie trustee candidate says school violence must be addressed, August 30, 2026 (Feed summary (article page not archived)). Read September 11, 2026. Media coverage
There are a number of ongoing issues facing the SCDSB. I believe that many of them including incidents of bullying; violence in our schools can be, in part, attributed to the strains being put on the public education system.

Source: As quoted in barrietoday.com, Barrie trustee candidate says school violence must be addressed, August 30, 2026 (paragraph 11). Read September 11, 2026. Media coverage
This provincial underfunding also includes insufficient funding formulas for busing and special education, as well as the critical need to build new schools to combat the growing over-crowding in schools and the problems this creates.

Source: As quoted in barrietoday.com, Barrie trustee candidate says school violence must be addressed, August 30, 2026 (paragraph 12, second sentence). Read September 11, 2026. Media coverage

Not yet checked for this race: social media posts.

Electoral record

In office: Trustee Ran, not elected Contesting now

When David William O'Brien held office (lines, coloured by office) and the elections they contested without winning (dots).

Terms are drawn from election records alone: a line runs from each election to the next one for that office — or ends early where winning a different office ended the term — so a resignation for any other reason would not appear here. Hover or tap any mark for the detail; the table below is the record.

Candidacies on record for David William O'Brien, all levels of government
Year	Contest	Votes	Share	Result
2026	Simcoe County District School Board — Barrie Wards 1, 2, 3	—	—	Contesting now
2022	Simcoe County District School Board — Wards 1, 2 and 3	1,627	21.2%	Not elected
2018	Simcoe County District School Board — Wards 1, 2 and 3	2,222	34.1%	Elected

Sources: City of Barrie certificates of election results.

See all election results for the full documents.

In full

Each contest David William O'Brien was part of, with the whole field, because a result only means something next to what it was up against.

2022: Simcoe County District School Board — Wards 1, 2 and 3

Simcoe County District School Board — Wards 1, 2 and 3, 2022
Candidate	Votes	Share
Lynn Strachan Elected Ex-Ward 2	3,680	48.0%
David William O'Brien Incumbent	1,627	21.2%
Suzanna McCarthy	1,327	17.3%
Alexis Clark	1,033	13.5%

2018: Simcoe County District School Board — Wards 1, 2 and 3

Simcoe County District School Board — Wards 1, 2 and 3, 2018
Candidate	Votes	Share
David William O'Brien Elected	2,222	34.1%
Gillian MacLean	2,211	33.9%
Amanda Trinacty	1,328	20.4%
Neli Trevisan	755	11.6%

Expenses

What David William O'Brien's disclosed spending went to, from the public record, reclassified into the same spending-type buckets on both sides — see council expenses and campaign finance for how every member and candidate compares.

Compliance & Legal Voter Outreach & Data Conference & Travel Events & Sponsorships Advertising & Media Print & Communications Office & Administration Corporate (phone/tablet) Other / miscellaneous

Every itemized expense line across this person's filed campaign financial statements, one bar per cycle, reclassified by keyword match on each line's description.

See campaign finance for the filing itself, cycle by cycle.

Coverage

Reporting that names David William O'Brien, from this site's media index, newest first.

The index is not complete; a story missing here may be one it has not reached yet.

August 30, 2026 Barrie trustee candidate says school violence must be addressed barrietoday.com
October 27, 2022 City clerk certifies Barrie election results barrietoday.com
October 24, 2022 ‘This isn’t a one-man show’: Alex Nuttall elected as Barrie’s next mayor Simcoe.com · By Chris Simon
September 4, 2022 Incumbent school trustee says 'there is still work ahead' barrietoday.com
August 19, 2022 Barrie Voter Guide 2022: Who is running for mayor, council, school board trustee in municipal election Simcoe.com
May 9, 2022 Voting cards filling up in Barrie as more people vie for council seats barrietoday.com · By Bob Bruton
October 26, 2018 City of Barrie puts stamp of approval on election results barrietoday.com · By Raymond Bowe
October 24, 2018 Several new trustee faces at public and Catholic school boards barrietoday.com · By Raymond Bowe

6 more stories

October 23, 2018 Here are the Simcoe County school board trustees you voted for Simcoe.com · By Shane MacDonald
August 17, 2018 David William O'Brien — SCDSB Trustee Barrie Ward 1-3 Simcoe.com
July 27, 2018 Barrie’s 2018 municipal election candidates Simcoe.com
July 27, 2018 Several municipal election races in the works as candidate filing deadline passes barrietoday.com · By Raymond Bowe
July 17, 2018 See who's in the election race for Barrie and its neighbouring municipalities barrietoday.com · By Raymond Bowe
June 28, 2018 Names begin to stream in as municipal candidates file nomination papers barrietoday.com · By Raymond Bowe

Compiled from the public electoral record.

If anything here is wrong, please tell us on the corrections page. Names are linked across elections only where we have confirmed by hand that the records refer to the same person; where we are unsure, they are kept separate.

Common questions

Who is David William O'Brien?

David William O'Brien is a candidate for school board trustee in the 2026 Barrie municipal election. School board trustee, elected 2018; holds no seat now.

What is David William O'Brien running for in Barrie?

School board trustee, on the ballot in the 2026 Barrie municipal election. Election day is October 26, 2026; internet and telephone voting opens October 16. See everyone running in this race.

Is David William O'Brien an incumbent?

No. David William O'Brien does not currently hold the seat being contested; school board trustee, elected 2018; holds no seat now. The sitting members are listed at incumbents.

Has David William O'Brien run for office before?

Yes: on a Barrie municipal ballot in 2018, 2022. The full record, with votes and results for every race, is below.

How do I contact David William O'Brien's campaign?

The campaign published a campaign website, an email address on the City of Barrie's certified candidates list; they are shown under campaign contact above. This site does not reproduce home addresses.

Who can vote for David William O'Brien?

Voters whose school support is recorded for this board, within the trustee zone shown above. See which trustee race is on your ballot.