Polls have closed, the votes are in and Castlegar has a new mayor and city council.
Maria McFaddin defeated Lawrence Chernoff in the race to become mayor by just five votes, according to preliminary election results. McFaddin garnered 920 votes and Chernoff had 915 votes.
McFaddin first joined city council in the 2018 election when almost 50 per cent of voters selected her name on the ballot. Since that time she has been an active and vocal member of council.
She becomes the second female mayor in the City of Castlegar’s history.
“I want to say a big congratulations to the rest of the council and I look forward to working with them,” said McFaddin after hearing the results Saturday night.
“Thanks to Lawrence for all of his years of service to this community. Clearly, by how close the vote was, he is still loved and honoured. I look forward to serving the community in the future and honouring the legacy he has set before us.”
McFaddin also thanked former mayors Kirk Duff and Bruno Tassone and former councillor Dan Rye for their support and encouragement as well as the rest of the outgoing council.
“I look forward to the future for Castlegar and what it holds. I look forward to hearing from those who agree with me and disagree with me. I believe as we listen to one another we can make good decisions that will bring Castlegar forward while honouring our past,” said McFaddin.
The narrow margin and outcome of the votes was reconfirmed on Oct. 17 after a recount was completed at the request of one of the candidates.
Councilors:
Seven people ran for the city’s six council seats. Council itself is a mix of old and new with three incumbents and three people new to elected office winning seats. Two males and four females will fill the council table.
The winners are:
Brian Bogle (incumbent) — 1478 votes (80%)
Darcy Bell — 1233 votes (67%)
Cherryl MacLeod (incumbent) — 1119 votes (60%)
Shirley Falstead — 1112 votes (60%)
Sue Heaton-Sherstibitoff (incumbent) — 1097 votes (59%)
Sandy Bojechko — 1025 votes (55%)
Former councillor Florio Vassilakakis (916 votes) did not win a seat.
Preliminary results are subject to determination of official election results by the Chief Elections Officer. Declaration of Official Election Results will be announced at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022, after our press deadline.
Voter turnout:
There are an estimated 6466 eligible voters in Castlegar. Only 1852 ballots were cast, meaning there was a 28.6 per cent voter turnout, the lowest Castlegar has seen in many years.
Voter turnout in the city’s 2021 byelection was 37 per cent. The byelection saw 2415 of the 6508 eligible voters show up to vote.
In the 2018 municipal election, 47 per cent of the city’s 6053 registered voters cast ballots.
In 2014, there was a 39 per cent voter turnout and in 2011, voter turnout was 33 per cent. In 2011, voter turnout was 30 per cent.
READ MORE: ELECTION 2022 RESULTS: Mayoral winners across British Columbia
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