Town of Athabasca residents voted to wipe the slate clean in the Oct. 16 municipal election.
None of the four incumbent candidates were voted to have a seat at the table in the upcoming election, and after nearly four hours of counting, it was determined Colleen Powell will be Athabasca’s next mayor, with more ballots than the other three candidates combined.
“I was really delighted, I was fairly positive going into this but I’ve been defeated before so I was a little shy and careful,” Powell said.
The new council will be formed by Robert Balay (641), John Traynor (598), Tannia Cherniwchan (535), David Pacholok (494), Michael Arychuk (419) and Ida Edwards (398).
Returning officer Rachel Ramey said counting took until midnight to complete due to the sheer number of candidates running.
“Lots of the wards in (Athabasca) County, they’re only reading off one name at a time. Where we are reading through 800 and 90-some ballots, a lot of them did have six names on it, and making sure you’re doing it right,” she said.
Former mayor Roger Morrill said in an e-mail response that he has “nothing but admiration for Athabasca.”
“The past eight years on council have given me great insight as to just how wonderfully blessed we are and to have such strong community supporters and organizations,” he wrote. “We are a very resilient, caring community with great lifestyle advantages and such potential. It’s all about the people that make this area a great place to live.”
Moving forward
The morning after her election victory, Powell was already transitioning from campaign mode to handling mayoral responsibilities.
“We have a pretty diverse group of people here bringing a lot of different skills, and that means we’re going to have a lot of ground covered in various areas,” she said. “Finally, with this group I think I can say this with some surety, they want to behave. We’ve all seen what happens when you don’t.”
Powell said she has already spoken to some of the councillors, and the new council is interested in “operating a respectful and civil council.”
“Of course there will be divisions over issues at times, but people can learn how to argue and debate issues and leave the personal out of it,” she said.
“It takes time, it doesn’t happen overnight,” Powell added.
Councillor training will take place this fall, and Powell said she would like to immediately start working on the town’s 10-year strategic plan, as recommended by the municipal inspection report.
New councillors will take their seats for the first time during their organizational meeting Oct. 24 at 6 p.m., in which councillors will divide up committee responsibilities.
Town chief administrative officer, Robert Jorgensen, said he is looking forward to working with the new council.
“It could be a good thing, it could be an interesting thing,” he said. “I didn’t see it, but I’ve heard about all the infighting that happened in the past. I’m looking forward to a unified council.”
Arychuk said he was “super excited” to have the vote of the town, and he added his younger perspective, at age 37, along with the varying views of other members of council will create a “very diverse” atmosphere.
“This term I think we’re going to have a collaborative team,” he said. “I think we’re going to set the whole region on a clear direction, hopefully with a good vision for the next 10 years and beyond.”
He added for the first 90 days council should work on getting the right foundation in place, and understanding of roles and responsibilities.
Balay, who received the highest number of ballots of any council or mayoral candidate, said it felt good to see that much support.
“I guess it’s nice. It sort of confirms that people think that I’m capable of doing the job and I look forward to having the honour to serve them.”
He added the new council looks like a great group to work with, and he is “excited to start and get engaged.”
Cherniwchan said she was elated to win a seat at the table, and looks forward to establishing good friends and a good working relationship.
“We have a lot of policy reviews to do and looking at the municipal inspection report, we’re still going to deal with the recommendations of course,” she said.
She added her main aims for the term would include the town’s code of ethics, basic policies on council remuneration, and looking at efficiencies in the system.
Cherniwchan added her first priority, though, would be looking at financing for the pool.
Edwards said she is excited, but also a little bit anxious for her term.
“Definitely excited to get elected, and honoured. Very honoured,” she said.
“As far as being on council, all the members are fresh, but they are strong community members and have had a lot of experience working with the community,” she said. “Committee organization, community clubs, and I think that is a strength the new council members are bringing.”
She added her main priority would be cohesiveness on council; having discussions and working together, but once a decision is made, sticking with it.
“I also feel our council needs, especially when I hear about the percentage of voters, we need stronger outreach,” Edwards said.
Pacholok said, looking at the results of the election, it appears the town people wanted change, and will get it.
“I just hope we’re able to come across as a unified body that can work through any difference we do have and come up with the proper conclusion that will benefit the town,” he said.
Pacholok said his first priority will be getting a public works committee up and running, because it is a “big priority” and one that is the “most expensive to our budget.”
Traynor, one of the younger elected members of council, said he is someone residents can depend on to help move the town forward.
He added an immediate priority for him is working to see if a sidewalk and utilities can be installed with the new bridge.
“With the leadership and wisdom and experience of Colleen Powell, I think going to be a council that we’re going to catch up and make the means to an end of working together and getting things done for the town,” he said.
Vote break down
In descending order of votes, Neil Galus (327), Heather Kariel (230), Steven Schafer (212), Shelly Gurba (186), Dan Bonell (126) and Joanne Peckham (61) were not given a councillor position.
Powell received 474 ballots, 55 per cent of the total votes for mayor. Previous mayor Roger Morrill received 222 ballots, Robert Woito, 115, and Laurie Bonell, 56.
While this council is fresh compared to last term, it does not come without experience. Powell has served on five previous councils, and was mayor just prior to the 2010 election when Morrill defeated Powell, 544 votes to Powell’s 333.
Traynor also served on council in the 2007 term as councillor.
Voter turnout was 893 people, or 39 per cent of the town’s 2,275 eligible voters, according to Statistics Canada data, only one per cent higher than the 2013 election.
Advanced ballots were up from last year by 69, but returning officer Rachel Ramey said the town decided to have two advanced polls rather than one, due to the election falling just after the Thanksgiving Weekend.
Vote recount denied
After results became official Oct. 20 at noon, Ramey said a candidate for council requested a recount. She added the request was denied, as it did not meet the requirements pursuant to the Local Authorities Election Act under Section 98.
