There’s a new mayor in Spallumcheen.
Christine Fraser defeats incumbent Janice Brown.
Fraser said: “It feels great, it’s amazing. I want to thank everybody who came out to vote. I’m going to do the best job I possibly can for the community.
“I want to thank Janice Brown for 20 years of service of working for and supporting the township. I look forward to working with the new and old councillors.”
MAYOR
Christine A Fraser 679 68.3%
Janice E Brown 307 30.9%
Newcomers Gerry Popoff and John Bakker will join incumbents Todd York, Christine LeMaire, Joe Van Tienhoven and Andrew Casson in making up the township council.
COUNCILLOR
* Todd York 777
* Christine LeMaire 775
* Gerry Popoff 750
* Joe Van Tienhoven 732
* Andrew Casson 707
* John Bakker 687
Carolyn Farris 356
* = elected.
“I’m thrilled with the crew we have in. The incumbents that ran are all back, which is great,and I think we’re going to be able to follow through to fruition some of the plans we’ve laid the last four years,” said York. “Gerry and John are two common-sense fellows that are going to bring some of that common sense to the room. They’re not there to grind an axe. They’re there for the betterment of the community as a whole. How can we miss?”
York is said to be losing a veteran politician in Brown.
“It’s a bit of a shame as I’d like to see Janice in the room as a councillor if not mayor,” he said. “It’s been a great couple of terms with her at the helm. Looking forward to Christine being mayor and I think she’ll do a bang-up job.”
Popoff has been a fixture in the council gallery as an observer for many years. He’ll now get a more comfortable chair in chambers.
Farris was also unsuccessful in her bid to become the North Okanagan-Shuswap school board trustee representative, losing Tennile Lachmuth.
Fraser had topped the councillor poll in 2014, finishing with 948 votes, 35 more than York. Casson was third with 893 while Van Tienhoven finished fourth with 791 and LeMaire was fifth in her inaugural campaign with 755 votes, 57 more than incumbent Ed Hanoski, who did not seek re-election in 2018.
Former Spallumcheen Mayor Will Hansma was unsuccessful in trying to earn a seat as the North Shuswap-Seymour Arm electoral area director in the Columbia Shuswap Regional District.