When council meets again on December 6, it will do so with four new faces sitting around the table. In addition three incumbent candidates were re-elected to serve another three year term.
The returning mayor is James Baker, elected with 988 votes supporting him. His closest competition came from Jayson McCarthy with 713 votes, followed by out-going Oyama ward councilor Noreen Guenter and Bill Clark with 530 and 449 votes respectively.
Filling the seats for councilor-at-large are newcomer Jamie McEwan who led the race with 1,432 votes. Penny Gambell kept her seat with 1,392 votes. First time candidates Peter Withers and Nick Aubin received 942 and 806 votes respectively.
In Winfield Rob Geier replaces Bill Scarrow as ward councilor in a contest that went 688 to 530 votes in favour of the George Elliot Secondary teacher.
Okanagan Centre is now represented by Lisa Cameron. She won her ward with 290 votes compared to 180 for Alice Rees and 167 for Jeremy Blaskovits.
In Carr’s Landing Barbara Leamont returns to council for a fourth term having received 81 votes. Her competitors Linda Sjoman and Matt Vader took 69 votes a piece.
In Oyama Owen Dickie was elected with 288 votes compared to Rob Nairne’s 223.
Hazel Christy, chief elections officer, says that in total 2,692 votes were cast giving the 2011 municipal election the highest participation rate since incorporation.
“Our estimate is that based on our population aged 18 and over we had a turnout pushing 30 per cent. By comparison the 2008 election had only a 19 percent voter turnout,” said Christy.
Christy says peak hours for voting seemed to be between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. with residents filling the gym at George Elliot Secondary for a chance to cast their ballots. She said later in the afternoon the lineup started to thin out…something to keep in mind for the 2014 election.