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Voters have to 'sit tight' for final election result: Port Coquitlam MLA

Port Coquitlam's re-elected MLA was to spend today (Thursday) collecting lawn signs and cleaning out his campaign office in the former Elks Hall.
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Port Coquitlam BC NDP MLA Mike Farnworth thanks a supporter at the PoCo Legion on election night.

Port Coquitlam's re-elected MLA was to spend today (Thursday) collecting lawn signs and cleaning out his campaign office in the former Elks Hall.

It was yet another successful contest for Mike Farnworth after the popular incumbent defended his seat in the NDP stronghold for the sixth time in seven provincial elections.

Farnworth gained his highest number of votes ever since running for the party in 1991, taking nearly 13,000 ballots over BC Liberal candidate Susan Chambers' 7,101.

The reason for his success? "I think we ran a good campaign. Provincially, John [Horgan] ran a good campaign."

Currently, the NDP's most seasoned politician isn't getting any marching orders from his leader, he said. There are still some 176,000 absentee votes province-wide to be counted over the next two weeks, which will determine which party forms government.

"It potentially has a big impact," Farnworth said. "Right now, people have to sit tight until that's done and then we will see who is going to become the premier."

Farnworth, the former official Opposition house leader and public safety critic, won't speculate about the outcome, nor will he comment on the possibility that, should the NDP hold power, he would return to a cabinet position (he previously served as the minister of municipal affairs and housing, employment and investment, housing, health, seniors, and social development and economic security).

And, for the record, he also holds no grudges against Horgan, having challenged him in 2014 for the top job before dropping out and backing him (a year earlier, Farnworth also went against Adrian Dix to replace Carole James, who was retiring).

As for his next four years, Farnworth vowed to "continue doing the work that I've been doing in representing the riding — whether we're in government or in Opposition."

Locally, his focus will be on upgrades at Irvine elementary school and Minnekhada middle as well as preparing for impacts from development Burke Mountain, where the city of Coquitlam plans to house up to 20,000 residents north of PoCo.

Meanwhile, BC Liberals' Chambers told The Tri-City News on election night that she's "rooting for a BC Liberal majority for the province. The race is not over."

The Maple Ridge resident also did not rule out another run, saying in a phone interview: "There's a future in politics for a person like me."

But the BC Greens' Jason Hanley — another first-time candidate — told The Tri-City News today he's unsure if he'll throw his hat in the ring again.

Hanley captured the highest number of votes of the Tri-Cities' four Green contenders, with 12.75%. "I'm happy with the results," he said, noting the party earned 4.89% of votes cast in PoCo in 2009 (there was no Green candidate in the 2013 campaign). 

Across B.C., "The Greens made amazing gains. It's the only party to have tripled in size," Hanley said with a laugh.

jcleugh@tricitynews.com

 

PORT COQUITLAM ELECTORAL DISTRICT RESULTS

• Mike Farnworth, BC NDP: 12,937 (55.46%)

Susan Chambers, BC Liberal: 7,101 (30.44%)

Jason Hanley, BC Green: 2,975 (12.75%)

Lewis Dahlby, Libertarian: 231 (0.99%)

Billy Gibbons, BC Cascadia: 84 (0.36%)