The people of Westlock County spoke with their ballots Oct. 16 and it was clear they wanted a change, a fresh start and an end to the controversy that has plagued the municipality this past term.
Every division except for one elected a new candidate — a sure sign that voters wanted someone to take care of business without ties to the county’s past mess.
The message becomes even more obvious when you look at the elections in Clyde and the town. All of the incumbents in both communities were re-elected. They’re obviously doing something right.
Of course not everyone agreed with that and polls in some divisions were incredibly close.
Take for instance the recounts in Div. 3 and Div. 5. Newcomers Lou Hall and Darrell Osmond challenged incumbents Ray Marquette and reeve Don Savage and were victorious by four votes TOTAL.
We’re optimistic this new county council will form better relationships with each other and their neighbouring councils, but it won’t be all sunshine.
New faces are at a disadvantage because they’re missing the history of why certain motions and decisions were made. However, that didn’t seem to help seasoned councillors who were around when the decision was made, but couldn’t seem to remember why they made it.
The newcomers will also have to sort out a boatload of issues, from the municipal inspection report recommendations to the Tawatinaw ski hill.
From the numbers in the plebiscite, you could say that 54 per cent of voters were in favour of selling the hill. The problem is not everyone who cast a ballot for a councillor voted in the plebiscite.
Yes, 93 per cent did, but the picture of what county residents want is far from clear when you factor in the other half of residents who didn’t vote at all.
At the same time, it’s disappointing that only 37.6 per cent voters turned out, though harvest likely had something to do with it. Regardless, you can’t complain if you aren’t going to do anything about it.
Ultimately, the slate has been virtually wiped clean. The players are new, but the old issues remains — roads, the ski hill, etc.
The clock starts ticking now for this new group and we wish them the best of luck.
