The final numbers are in, and Mike Ruttan is the new mayor of Port Alberni. His council will be Denis Sauvé, Dan Washington, Sharie Minions, Ron Paulson, Jack McLeman and Chris Alemany.
There were seven mayoral candidates and 22 council candidates vying for seats this year.
“It feels good. My campaign team worked incredibly hard and I’m happy with the way it turned out,” Ruttan said.
“It’s a strong mandate for me as new mayor. People are definitely looking for a change, but not completely because we do have two returning councillors. But I think it’s a good result; a balanced result.”
Ruttan said he is confident the new group will be able to work together, and that having two experienced councillors in Washington and McLeman is positive.
“We can work together well as a new council. There’s things we’re going to have to do in terms of common agreements and refocusing on city priorities. There’s going to have to be some work done on where the city’s budget is sitting.”
Denis Sauvé garnered the most results for councillors with 2,748. Washington had 2366, Minions (Alberni First) 2,159, Paulson (Alberni First) 2,137, McLeman (Alberni First) 1,736 and Alemany 1,679.
Sauvé said people in Port Alberni “pretty much voted for trust and accountability. This is what we have to ensure we give them.”
Minions was happy to hear who was elected. “I think it’s a really good mix. I’ve talked a lot about us needing a diverse council…I think that’s what we’ve got,” she said.
“I’m really happy with this.”
Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District and school district results will be released shortly.
Results for the Sproat Lake Marine Patrol referendum questions will also be forthcoming.
The public opinion question, asking if people were in favour of a 10th Avenue crossing, was voted down. Votes were 3,389 against the non-binding question, and 2,388 in favour.
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— With additional coverage from Katya Slepian, Alberni Valley News
