Sooke voters decided to stick with the tried and true Saturday, voting incumbent Maja Tait back into the districtB次元官网网址檚 top seat and five councillors back on council.

Tait garnered 2,403 or 72 per cent of ballots cast by Sooke voters and cruised easily into her third term.

B次元官网网址淭his feels great,B次元官网网址� Tait said at her victory party at the Royal Canadian Legion.

B次元官网网址淚 feel weB次元官网网址檙e on track. WeB次元官网网址檝e done a lot of good work, and the last four years were difficult,B次元官网网址� she said, referring to the pandemic.

Retired community advocate Mick Rhodes came second with 578 votes, while John Knops, a retired civil servant, placed third with 246.

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With only one seat B次元官网网址� vacated by Ebony Logins B次元官网网址� up for grabs, the five incumbents running for re-election got the thumbs up, with Dana Lajeunesse, Jeff Bateman, Megan McMath, Al Beddows and Tony St-Pierre retaining their seats.

Former councillor Kevin Pearson won the other seat.

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Pearson, who lost to Tait by 676 in the 2018 mayorB次元官网网址檚 race and by three votes in the 2019 byelection that elected Lajeunesse, said he wasnB次元官网网址檛 B次元官网网址渟uper surprisedB次元官网网址� by this yearB次元官网网址檚 result.

B次元官网网址淧eople were asking me to run, and itB次元官网网址檚 always been at the back of my mind to run again,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淢y strength is that I can work with anyone; teamwork will be critical with this council.B次元官网网址�

Twenty-three candidates ran for council in Sooke, second to only Victoria for the number of candidates on the South Island, so name recognition was important, Beddows said.

He added that many voters were confused with so many names on the ballot, which helped the incumbents.

Bateman said he was delighted with the election and said Sooke voters are sending a solid group to council chambers.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 quite optimistic for the next four years,B次元官网网址� he said.

editor@sookenewsmirror.com
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