The civic election polls are now closed.
Salmon Arm Observer reporters are with the candidates, bringing you full live coverage on our website, Facebook and Twitter.
8 p.m. – Polls now closed
As we await election results in Salmon Arm, mayoral hopefuls are with their supporters.
Nancy Cooper is at Spooktacular at Haney Heritage Village where she is volunteering, Alan Harrison is spending the first few moments after he hears the results with his wife Debbie and then will be coming to the Curling Club to be with supporters, and Jim Kimmerly is at the Salmon Arm casino with supporters.
Incumbent councillor Kevin Flynn talks with reporter Lachlan Labere at Alan Harrison’s headquarters.
Early results are favouring Alan Harrison for mayor and ‘yes’ to the underpass according to our reporter Jodi Brak at the SASCU Recreation Centre, but it’s still too early to tell.
Although staff at city hall had hoped results would be tallied by the electronic system before 8:15 p.m., things aren’t going quite as planned. We hope to have results very soon.
Mail-in ballots are now being counted. Finals ballots incoming.
Not so very many years ago the ballots were counted by hand. Now that was a long night…
Results are in for Chase - Chase has a new mayor - Rod Crowe who defeated incumbent Rick Berrigan and three other candidates: David Lepsoe, Beverley Iglesias and Harry Danyluk.
No results in yet for Sicamous, although Mayor Terry Rysz retains his position by acclamation.
Two incumbent councillors have been returned to Chase and two newcomers. Incumbents re-elected are Ali Maki and Steven Scott. Newcomers are Ali Lauzon, who topped the polls with 70.7 per cent of the vote, and Fred Torbohm with 58.6 per cent.
8:45 p.m. Despite rumours the computer in Salmon Arm crashed, it hasn’t, says our reporter at the SASCU Rec Centre where the votes are being tallied.
“No computer crashes, they are just adding up all the votes,” says Observer reporter Jodi Brak. “They have to take all the results from the electronic machines and tally them up on pen and paper.”
He says all the votes are on a spreadsheet and they’re now being added.
*********
8:53 - Alan Harrison for mayor with 3,387 votes versus Nancy Cooper’s 1516.
8:57 - Councillor tallies coming now. Mayoral candidate Jim Kimmerly received 758 votes.
8:59 - Incumbent Tim Lavery, incumbent Chad Eliason, incumbent Kevin Flynn, Debbie Cannon, incumbent Louise Wallace Richmond and Sylvia Lindgren are Salmon Arm’s new council.
Filling the two school trustee spots for Salmon Arm are Amanda Krebs and Marianne VanBuskirk.
*********
The Ross Street Underpass referendum passed, 3,486 to 2,069.
Incumbent mayor Nancy Cooper expressed her congratulations to Alan Harrison; she said he campaigned hard and he will do a good job as mayor. She had thought the results would be closer, however.
Mayoral candidate Jim Kimmerly said, “It was going to be a tough task to knock off Harrison and Cooper. It all comes down to how the vote was split, and it didn’t split my way. But that’s the way it goes, it’s fine, the people decided what they wanted to vote for.”
Kimmerly added: “I would like to congratulate Alan Harrison on being the next mayor of Salmon Arm. Everyone ran a good campaign, I think. I was glad Sylvia (Lindgren) got elected to council from our group, she will do a good job. I would like to thank all our supporters and people who worked with us.”
*********
Four incumbents have been returned to Sicamous council. Of the incumbents who sought re-election, only Todd Kyllo was not re-elected. The new council consists of incumbent Gord Bushell, who topped the votes, incumbent Malcolm Makayev, newcomer Bob Evans, newcomer Ryan Airey, incumbent Colleen Anderson and incumbent Jeff Malmes.
Sicamous Mayor Terry Rysz was acclaimed.
************
In the Columbia Shuswap Regional District contest for Electoral Area directors, Area C incumbent Paul Demenok defeated contender Nancy Egely. In Area F, North Shuswap-Seymour Arm, Jay Simpson defeated Will Hansma, and in Area E, rural Sicamous-Malakwa, incumbent Rhona Martin beat Leslie Johnson. Rene Talbot was acclaimed in Electoral Area D, Falkland/Salmon Valley/Deep Creek/Ranchero.
Voting numbers are considered unofficial until Tuesday, Oct. 23.