Voters picked 4.86 Councillors on their 2008 Ballot.

• The total # of voters who voted for mayor in 2008 was 7389. 
•  The total # of votes cast for Councillors in 2008 was 35,951.
• Average # of of Councillors chosen by each person who voted for Mayor is 4.86.

• The total # of voters who voted for mayor in 2005 was 9446. 
•  The total # of votes cast for Councillors in 2005 was 50,654.
• Average # of of Councillors chosen by each person who voted for Mayor is 5.36.

1. The total vote in 2008 shown as 7434 indicates that there were 45 spoiled ballots or didn't vote for Mayor.
2. The total vote in 2005 shown as 9641 indicates that there were 195 spoiled ballots or didn't vote for Mayor. 
3. Voter Turnout in 2005 was 41%  as compared to 26% in 2008.

A politician in the making ?

John was in the fertilized egg business.

He had several hundred young layers (hens), called 'pullets,' and ten roosters to fertilize the eggs. He kept records, and any rooster not performing Went into the soup pot and was replaced.

This took a lot of time, so he bought some tiny bells and attached them to his roosters. Each bell had a different tone, so he could tell from a distance, which rooster was performing.Now, he could sit on the porch and fill out an efficiency report by just listening to the bells.

John's favorite rooster, old Butch,was a very fine specimen, but this morning he noticed Old Butch's bell hadn't rung at all!

When he went to investigate,he saw the other roosters were busy chasing pullets, bells-a-ringing, but the pullets,hearing the roosters coming, could run for cover. To John's amazement,old Butch had his bell in his beak, so it couldn't ring. He'd sneak up on a pullet, do his job and walk on to the next one.

John was so proud of old Butch, he entered him in the Renfrew County Fair and he became an overnight sensation among the judges. The result was the judges not only awarded old Butch the No Bell Piece Prize But they also awarded him the Pulletsurprise as well.

Clearly old Butch was a politician in the making. Who else but a politician could figure out how to win two of the most highly coveted awards On our planet by being the best sneaking up on the populace and screwing them when they weren't paying attention.

Vote carefully this year, the bells are not always audible.
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Don Quixote Note: Submitted by a blogreader.

Summerland council grilled on election expenses

SUSAN McIVER, Special to The Penticton Herald 11/12/2009

Careful scrutiny of campaign financials led to questions for Summerland council and casts a shadow over the 2008 municipal elections. The consistent theme of the questions Penticton Herald editor James Miller asked councillors Monday evening concerned their relationship to the group calling itself Citizens for Smart Governance. “I identified myself with that group as did a number of others to take a position during that election,” acting mayor Gordon Clark said, when Miller asked about his standing was with the group. Earlier Clark said “It doesn‘t raise a signal for me” when asked if he was aware of the group. After Miller reminded him of the series of ads sponsored by the Smart Governance group which endorsed everyone at the council table Clark said, “Yes, I am aware of it (the group).”

During the 2008 campaign, the Smart Governance group ran ads in the Penticton Herald, Summerland Review and Penticton Western News in support of the successful mayoralty candidate and winning slate of councillors. Miller noted that $3,000 was a conservative estimate for the total amount spent on newspaper ads by the group. An ad sponsored by Smart Governance in the Penticton Herald on Nov. 14, 2008, the day before the municipal election, cost just over $1,000.

Any person or group spending $500 or more is legally required to register with the chief electoral officer as either a campaign organizer or an elector organization and file financial statements within four months of the elections. Neither Good Governance nor any other group or individual registered with Summerland‘s chief electoral officer. Failure to register can carry a maximum penalty of a jail sentence and disqualification of elected officials who benefited. (more)

New Mayor, Councillor For Lumby

Peter McIntyre Saturday, 15 August 2009 20:32 107.5 KISSFM:

The village of Lumby's new mayor is Kevin Acton.The massage therapist and former village councillor won Saturday's by-election by a wide margin over semi retired carpenter Walter Ozero.Acton got 385 votes to 34 for Ozero.

Janet Green is the new councillor on Lumby council.She beat out six other candidates with 120 votes followed by Nick Hodge with 104, Brad Andres 92, Woody Kuraoka 40, Stephanie McCluskey-Davyduke 37, Matt Boos 12, Julie Pilon 10.

The new mayor and councillor will be sworn in August 31.The by-election was held after Eric Foster stepped down in May after becoming the new Vernon Monashee MLA.1,200 residents were eligible to vote and 418 cast a ballot.That's an unofficial turnout of 34.8 percent.

Mayor; Councillor Election In Lumby

Written by Glen Morrison Friday, 14 August 2009 10:09 107.5 KISSFM:

Voters in Lumby pick a mayor and a councilor Saturday in a byelection.The vote was called to replace Eric Foster who stepped down in May after being elected MLA. Seven candidates are seeking the councillor's spot, with two running for mayor. Massage therapist Kevin Acton stepped down as councillor, to run against semi retired carpenter Walter Ozero creating the need for the council vote.

The seven candidates for the councilor's position are: Brad Andres, Matt Boos, Stephanie McCluskey-Davyduke, Janet Green, Nick Hodge, Woody Kuraoka and Julie Pilon.The positions will start August 31 and run until the next civic elections in November 2011. Administrator Frank Kosa says there's about 1,200 eligible voters.68 people cast ballots in the advance vote on August 5, which is about 6 percent.The polls will be open at the village office from 8am til 8pm Saturday.

Race For Lumby Mayor

Written by Glen Morrison Friday, 10 July 2009 10:40 107.5 KISSFM:
The byelection has heated up in the village of Lumby. There's a race for mayor after Walter Ozero filed Friday morning taking away Kevin Acton's chance of acclamation. There's eight candidates for the councillor's position: Matt Boos, Stephanie Davyduke, Julie Pilon, Karaalee Gehring, Woody Kuraoka, Janet Green, Brad Andres and Nick Hodge are the other candidates.

The deadline for nominations is this afternoon, with the byelection set for August 15.The need for the byelection was created when Eric Foster resigned as mayor in May after becoming the new MLA for the Vernon area.The councillor's seat came open when Acton stepped down to run for mayor.

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Karaalee Gehring withdrew her nomination.

Seven Lumby Candidates

Written by Peter McIntyre Monday, 06 July 2009 16:19107.5 KISSFM:

A seat on Lumby council is turning out to be a hot ticket. There's now six people running for the councillors position vacated by Kevin Acton who stepped down to run for mayor. Juli Pilon and Karaa-lee Gehring are joined by four others who filed Monday: Woody Kuraoka, Janet Green, Brad Andres and Nick Hodge.Acton remains the lone candidate for mayor with the deadline for candidates on Friday afternoon. The by-election will be held August 15. The resignation of former mayor Eric Foster in May after his election as Vernon Monashee MLA, led to the need for the election.

Mayor denies donor influence

Published: March 26, 2009 6:00 PM Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star

Vernon’s mayor insists campaign contributions don’t dictate how he votes. According to disclosure statements filed for the 2008 civic election, Wayne Lippert received donations of $16,005, many of them from developers and other businesses. But he says that monetary support doesn’t influence his duties as mayor. “I don’t feel any burden or expectation with how I deal with things,” he said. The largest donation was $2,000 from Wesbild Holdings, while there was $1,000 from Leona Snider, owner of The Rise, and $750 from Tavistock Properties. Lippert provided $100. His total campaign expenses were $16,941, with $5,615 of that going to advertising ($3,688 with The Morning Star). “It costs money to get to this office and have a chance,” he said, admitting that the finances needed may put the mayor’s chair out of reach for some people. “It definitely makes it tough because it takes money.” Of the other mayoralty candidates, the next highest spender was Juliette Cunningham who had expenses of $6,440. She had contributions of $7,150, including $2,000 from the North Okanagan Labour Council and $600 from herself. Among the other candidates Steve Campbell spent $3,779 and had contributions of $3,779. Floyd Edwards rang up $700 in expenses and had no donations, while Tony Stamboulieh’s expenses were $752 and contributions were $1,250. Rick Thorburn collected $500 in donations and spent $1,943.

Of the 13 people who ran for councillor, veteran incumbent Patrick Nicol topped the pack, spending $11,259. “I wanted to make sure I got my message out,” he said. “I really believe people should know what a person stands for.” Nicol’s campaign was financed by himself. “It’s how you truly stay independent,” he said of why he doesn’t accept donations. Of the other five elected as councillors, Bob Spiers was next, with expenses of $4,002 and contributions of $4,286. Among them were $400 from himself and $100 each from former councillors Barry Beardsell and Jim MacGillivray. Shawn Lee’s expenses were $2,944 while he had contributions of $350. Mary-Jo O’Keefe had expenses of $1,752 and donations of $799 while Jack Gilroy spent $1,038, Gilroy’s contributions amounted to $1,000, including $500 from the Vernon Professional Firefighters Association. Buffy Baumbrough filed $410 in expenses and $78 in donations.

Coldstream Election Results 2008

Click to enlarge:

A civics lesson

Morning Star Editorial: Published: November 18, 2008 7:00 PM

Wayne Lippert often speaks of the strong relationships he has formed with senior levels of government and local jurisdictions, but it's obvious the relationship he needs to work on is with his own citizens. Lippert narrowly won a second term as mayor Saturday, receiving 2,728 votes to Juliette Cunningham's 2,363 — a 365-vote difference. And if there had been three or four fewer other candidates not splitting the vote, Lippert could easily be cleaning out his office right now. It's a situation that tempered Lippert's enthusiasm as the final results rolled in Saturday. "I will have to work harder to make sure those who didn't vote for me are included," he said, acknowledging that a majority of those who did cast ballots didn't favour him.

Despite Lippert's mantra of openness and transparency, many residents claim city hall has been anything but that. Particularly, there are still some hard feelings over the civic complex issue and the perception of some residents that city hall wasn't interested in any meaningful input on the location or design. And whether it is the proposed development of the city-owned Hesperia lands, the operation of the airport or the future of the Okanagan Landing Fire Department, there are those who believe too much is done behind closed doors. Many of these attitudes stem from ignorance on the part of the public on how municipalities operate. There is provincial legislation that must be followed and it dictates what can be discussed in private, such as land, labour and legal. But there is no question that the three Ls get stretched at times and there are some things that don't need to be in-camera.

If Lippert is to move ahead over the next three years, he needs to do a better job of explaining to citizens how the city functions and the rules it's governed by. He also needs to push the limit when it comes to ensuring as much business as possible is done in the open. But while we can get hung up on the apparent lack of transparency, it should be pointed out that three members of the outgoing council were re-elected, and two of them — Patrick Nicol and Buffy Baumbrough — topped the polls. It is also worth mentioning that it was this council — under Lippert's leadership — that led the most comprehensive official community plan review ever. Residents had considerable opportunities to provide their input and I believe the plan reflects their interests.

It was quite clear Saturday that Tony Stamboulieh may speak for some people but he doesn't represent the vast majority. Many, including myself, thought Stamboulieh would be a contender for the mayor's job based on the significant petition campaigns he has led for the Vernon Taxpayers Association, but a fourth-place finish at 787 votes doesn't bear that out. It now looks like the public support for those campaigns — whether it was the civic complex or Vernon Jubilee Hospital funding — were specific to those issues and not an endorsement of the association. Stamboulieh vows to keep an eye on city hall during the new term, and that is something all citizens should do. But Stamboulieh's role as the voice of the people has been weakened.

One unfortunate outcome from the election is the city has lost its strongest advocate on social matters — Juliette Cunningham. It was Cunningham who diligently led the charge on affordable housing and getting a homeless shelter established. She often spoke out against a purely enforcement response to criminal activity, stating the root causes for crime have to be addressed, including poverty and mental illness. Ultimately, these social issues have such an impact on so many other aspects of the community that they can't be ignored. But it's hard to tell if anyone on the council is ready to wade into the trenches like Cunningham did.

Stamboulieh to keep an eye on city hall

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: November 18

A failed candidate for mayor vows to keep watching activities at Vernon city hall. Tony Stamboulieh, who placed fourth in the six-person race, says he will remain an active part of the Vernon Taxpayers Association. “I will continue to do this,” he said of speaking out on issues of concern. Stamboulieh received 787 votes compared to 2,728 for Wayne Lippert, 2,363 for Juliette Cunningham, 825 for Rick Thorburn, 538 for Steve Campbell and 148 for Floyd Edwards. “The beauty of democracy is that those who have taken the trouble to vote get the government they deserve,” said Stamboulieh. “Vernon certainly deserves Mayor Lippert and his team. And I wish them well. They will need all of their collective wisdom during these coming critical economic times.”

Stamboulieh doesn’t believe his showing in the election is a sign that the public doesn’t support the taxpayers association. “They (residents) have always supported the issues and concerns through petitions massively,” he said. “But perhaps local elections here and across the province indicated apathy. After the federal election, perhaps people are tired.” It has been suggested by Stamboulieh and the association that city hall hasn’t been open and transparent but Lippert disagrees.

“The mayor’s office has been more accessible than in the past and we need to keep concentrating on it and letting people know what the city is doing,” he said. Lippert says there is a need to educate residents about how city hall operates and some of the provincial legislation it must follow. “I want to make sure that people know that there are no secret meetings. All meetings are posted but there are in-camera meetings where there are issues that must be in-camera,” he said. Under provincial law, the matters that are to be discussed in private or in-camera meetings are labour, legal and property.

Priorities set for new term

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: November 18, 2008

Vernon’s new council is ready to get down to business. On Dec. 1, Mayor Wayne Lippert will be sworn in for a second term, as will incumbent councillors Patrick Nicol, Buffy Baumbrough and Jack Gilroy, and newcomers Mary-Jo O’Keefe, Bob Spiers and Shawn Lee. “I’m looking forward to working with this council. It looks like a good council,” said Lippert of Saturday’s election results. For Lippert, a priority over the next three years is launching the new economic development/tourism function. “It’s important for the region so we can keep the businesses we have and attract business,” he said. O’Keefe, who owns a tourism marketing business, also wants to focus on the economy. “I’m excited about what I can contribute to that conversation,” she said, adding that she is pleased with the city starting a two per cent hotel room tax for marketing. O’Keefe also wants to focus on accessing senior government grants for local projects.

For Nicol, his agenda includes co-operation with regional partners and the draft fire service review, which could lead to changes at the Okanagan Landing’s volunteer fire hall. “I hope to get a sense from Okanagan Landing residents on the matter. There should be public input sessions where Landing residents can have a say,” he said.

Baumbrough wants to implement the new official community plan, especially based on comments she heard during the campaign. “There will be a need to set priorities. The OCP is very comprehensive and it speaks to many issues,” she said.

Land use issues are also key for Lee as he moves into a councillor’s chair.“We really need to make decisions based on our OCP. It can’t just sit on a shelf. We really need to do something with it,” he said. “I want to work in harmony with the rest of council.”

With a 2009 budget soon needed, Spiers wants to take a look at the financial situation. “The budget is number one. We have to attack it and make sure there are no tax increases unnecessarily,” he said. Spiers doesn’t expect a difficult learning curve for the new budget. “The budget is yet to be presented by administration to council so the process really hasn’t started yet,” he said.

Gilroy wants to address concerns about the odour at the biosolids facility in the Commonage and he wants to see improvements in Polson Park. “It’s been way too long since the (grandstand arson) fire and we need to do something there. We need a plan,” he said.

One of the results from Saturday’s election has been revised.Due to a reporting error, Patrick Nicol was thought to only have 357 votes at the Ellison Elementary poll when it was actually 1,357. In the end, he received a total of 5,286 votes at all of the polls in Vernon.

Nicol gets 1000 more votes

107.5 KISSFM Pete McIntyre:

It won't affect the outcome, but one of the Vernon council candidates got a thousand more votes than originally reported. Patrick Nicol was listed as having 357 votes from the Ellison polling station after Saturday's vote, but his total was actually 1,357. City elections officer Patti Bridal says it was due to a reporting error by a polling clerk when the results were relayed over the phone. Bridal points out that why the results when posted on election night are classified as 'preliminary' and are not official until four days after the event when everything has been reviewed. The correction means Nicol, who topped the polls regardless of the glitch, ended up with more than 5,200 votes, 13-hundred more than second place finisher Buffy Baumbrough.

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Don Quixote Note: There were 1867 votes at Ellison for the 6 Candidates for Mayor. Coun. Nicol with his adjusted 1357 votes received 72.6% of this vote.

Vancouver's finance director officially steps down

CBC News:

Two days after the election of a new mayor, the City of Vancouver has confirmed its director of finance has resigned, but staff remain tight-lipped about why. On Monday morning, Estelle Lo handed in her resignation effective Nov. 30 to city manager Judy Rogers, the general manager of human resources Kevin Ramsay confirmed. Rumours of Lo's resignation remained unconfirmed for weeks, following allegations in a newspaper report that she left due to concerns about the controversial $100-million bailout of the Olympic Village development, which came to light in the middle of the recent civic election race. Ramsay refused to confirm the reason for Lo's resignation. "It's her own reasons. This is a personal matter. It is also a personnel matter and I'm not willing to discuss it at this time," said Ramsay.Deputy city manager James Ridge will oversee the city's financial department until a permanent replacement for Lo can be found, said Ramsay.

Council Results Vernon 2008

Click on Image to enlarge:

Lippert retains mayor’s chair

By Richard Rolke - Vernon Morning Star Published: November 15, 2008

Wayne Lippert is back in the mayor’s chair, but he admits that voters have sent him a wake-up call. Lippert topped the polls Saturday, capturing 2,728 votes, followed by Juliette Cunningham at 2,363, Rick Thorburn at 825, Tony Stamboulieh at 787, Steve Campbell at 538 and Floyd Edwards at 148 ballots. “I’m happy I won. I wish the margin was larger but I made it. The contract has been renewed,” said Lippert. Touching on the tight race between him and Cunningham, Lippert admits not all Vernonites are happy with him.“I will have to work harder to make sure those who didn’t vote for me are included,” he said. But Lippert still sees his victory as an endorsement of the path he has taken the city since being first elected in 2005.“I’m looking forward to building on what we started and to move forward,” he said, adding that as of Monday, he will start meeting with his members of council to start working on plans for the new term which begins Dec. 1. Lippert credits his election win to a lot of hard work over the last few weeks. “I really want to thank my family and my campaign team. And I also want to thank the residents of Vernon for placing their trust in me again,” he said.

Cunningham, who was a first-term councillor, was disappointed with the election results. “I thought I had a good chance. The indication was I had good support,” she said. “I can’t predict how people voted the way they did. When that many people are running (for mayor), there will be vote splitting.” Cunningham believes the election results should lead to a change in direction at city hall. “It wasn’t a landslide and I hope Mayor Lippert realizes there is not total support for his leadership. Hopefully that will benefit all of us as a community,” she said. Thorburn’s entire goal in pursuing the mayor’s chair was to promote consolidation of Areas B and C with Vernon, and he says there is public interest in that happening. “I hope council looks at it seriously in terms of things to do,” said Thorburn, an architect.This was the first time Campbell had sought elected office. “The feedback I was getting at forums was I did well, but perhaps the Enderby issue was too big for people to look beyond,” he said, referring to his owning property in Enderby but spending most of his day in Vernon as a realtor.Stamboulieh and Edwards could not be reached for comment by press time.

Six councillors were elected Saturday and leading the polls was veteran incumbent Patrick Nicol with 4,286 votes. “There’s lots of good work to do and I’m excited to move forward. There’s a group (council) that will get down to work quite quickly,” said Nicol, who is entering his eighth term. Second was incumbent Buffy Baumbrough with 3,976 votes, followed by former school trustee Mary-Jo O’Keefe at 3,886, incumbent Jack Gilroy at 3,449, retired brokerage manager Bob Spiers at 3,153 and dentist Shawn Lee at 3,122.

Not elected were Brian Quiring (3,071), Steven DeBella (2,922), Eric Kowalski (2,864), Doug MacAulay (1,475), Gordon Thomas (1,156), Ray Carling (862) and Peter Greening (729). Voter turnout in Vernon was about 26 per cent Saturday.

New councils elected

107.5 KISSFM Pete McIntyre:

City of Vernon voters have opted to stay the course with Wayne Lippert as mayor. The 53 year old won his second term by 365 votes over Juliette Cunningham, (2728 to 2363). Rick Thorburn was third (825), followed by Tony Stamboulieh (787) , Steve Campbell (538) and Floyd Edwards (148). The top six councillors were Patrick Nicol (4286), Buffy Baumbrough (3976) , Mary Jo O'Keefe (3886), Jack Gilroy (3449), Bob Spiers (3153) and Shawn Lee (3122).

Jim Garlick is the new mayor-elect in Coldstream. The secondary school teacher won by more than a thousand votes over Glen Taylor. (1899-874) The six councillors are Richard Enns (1437), Doug Dirk (1379), Maria Besso (1347) , Bill Firman (1255), former mayor Gyula Kiss (1215), and Pat Cochrane (1204).

Elsewhere around the North Okanagan, Will Hansma swept to a 5th term as mayor of Spallumcheen. Hansma defeated Dustin Griffin by more than 400 votes (733 to 267) while former mayor Guenter Rieger was third (230). The Spallumcheen councillors include five incumbents, Todd York, Ralph Leyenhorst, Lorna Bissell, Dave Brew, Janice Brown and newcomer Andrew Casson.

Chris Pieper is the new mayor of Armstrong with a landslide win over Ernie Haller. (816 votes to 159) Shirley Fowler was the top councillor followed by Ryan Nitchie, Sully O'Sullivan, Paul Britton, John Trainor, and Kelly Rowe.

The new mayor in Enderby is three term councillor Dee Wjer who defeated Jeff Copeman by 400 votes to 76.

The four Vernon school board trustees are Sam Banducci (3773), Mollie Bono (3334), Steve Connor (2964) and Perry Wainwright (2677).
Daryl Leier missed out with 2462.

The four Lumby councillors elected in order were Kevin Acton, Ben Winters, Tracy Williamson ad Lori Mindnich.

Vernon Municipal Election Results

Castanet:
Wayne Lippert will remain as Vernon’s mayor. The incumbent mayor beat out his challengers for the top spot with 2,728 votes during the municipal election Saturday, according to preliminary results. Councillor Juliette Cunningham got 2,363 votes in her race for the mayor's seat. Lippert was ahead of the pack during the majority of the advanced voting. Rick Thoburn had a total of 825 votes, Antony Stamboulieh had 787, Steve Campbell finished with 538 and Floyd Edwards received 148 votes.

Vernon’s city council will consist of Patrick David Nicol, Buffy Baumbrough, Mary-Jo O’Keefe, Jack Gilroy, Bob Spiers and Shawn Lee. Nicol got 4,286 votes, Baumbrough 3,976, O'Keefe received 3,886, Gilroy finished with 3,449, Spiers got 3,153 and Lee finished with 3,122 votes.

Garlick races past Taylor in Coldstream

By Jennifer Smith - Vernon Morning Star Published: November 15, 2008

Coldstream residents made their wishes clear Saturday. Message being: Jim Garlick is the man for the top job. Garlick clearly beat Glen Taylor in the mayoralty race with more than double the votes. Garlick had 1,899 votes versus Taylor’s 874. The result came as a surprise to both parties. “It’s a pleasant surprise,” said Garlick, moments after seeing the total numbers roll in Saturday night and shaking the hands of his supporters. “I was a little surprised there was that much a difference,” said Taylor, who while obviously disappointed, will keep his councill-less future busy with his business and invention progress. “I was up against quite a machine that was out there in force.” Garlick and his new council start Dec. 1 and run three years, to December 2011.

The new councillors who will join him at that time are (in order of votes received): Richard Enns (1,437), incumbent Doug Dirk (1,379), Maria Besso (1,347), incumbent Bill Firman (1,255), Gyula Kiss (1,215) and Pat Cochrane (1,204).

Getting the new councillors up to speed on not just the workings of council, but the workings of Coldstream, is a priority for Garlick. “I am looking forward to moving forward as quickly as possible,” said the 47-year-old Clarence Fulton Secondary teacher. Recalling his own introduction to council three years ago, Garlick wished he had been given a better education of everything from water to sewer and projects on the books. Another item Garlick says his council will play an important role in is his desire to re-instate Leo Lecavalier as a firefighter. “It’s part of a process to heal some wounds.” Garlick has also shown interest in an Official Community Plan review. But when it comes to any plans the most important thing is “we have to engage the community.”

Spirit Square announced; timing questioned

105.7 KISSFM Pete McIntyre Nov. 14

The BC government is providing funding for a new gathering place in Vernon, but the timing of the announcement is troubling to one political candidate. Tom Christensen announced a $250,000 grant for the Vernon Spirit Square. The project involves converting the area between city hall and the library into a gathering space for entertainment, ceremonies and relaxation. Mayoralty candidate Tony Stamboulieh attended the announcement, and wonders if the MLA is getting involved in the mayor's race by handing over the cheque just before the election. "I find the timing very suspect and the question is, is our MLA getting involved in our local mayoralty election. Why didn't he wait until Monday to make the announcement?"

Mayor Wayne Lippert doesn't think the timing is a big deal. "It doesn't hurt me but I don't think it really helps either. If it was any help to me, it would have been a week or two sooner. This has been a council accomplishment, not just mine. This is one that all of council should be proud of." Christensen says he's not taking sides in the mayor's race, adding the grant is something that's been in the works for some time. "This was a day that worked for everybody but it has been something we've been working on to actually make an announcement."