The provincial election may have wrapped up late Tuesday night but another vote could be right around the corner for Port Moody residents.
With the victory in the riding of Port Moody-Coquitlam of NDP candidate Rick Glumac — a Port Moody city councillor — the possibility of a byelection looms at the municipal level.
"I am going to meet with my council and determine how to move forward from here," Glumac said Tuesday night after defeating incumbent BC Liberal MLA Linda Reimer. "My commitment is to be an MLA, and so we just have to figure out how that is going to work."
When asked if he could do both jobs at the same time, he stated: "I don't think so."
Port Moody Mayor Mike Clay said Glumac could theoretically stay on as a councillor and keep both jobs.
Under the Local Government Act, council vacancies do not have to be filled during an election year. Clay said that if Glumac could do double-duty until Jan. 1, 2018, it could save the cost of a byelection (civic elections in B.C. will be held in October 2018).
"He can keep both jobs," Clay said. "It is up to Rick to decide if he is going to step down."
Even if a byelection is forced, Clay said they are not as expensive as general elections.
"We think it would be somewhere between $15,000 and $20,000," Clay told The Tri-City News. "They are much smaller scale… I don't think anybody would think of that cost as significant."
The NDP has not held Port Moody-Coquitlam since former Mayor Joe Trasolini took the riding in a byelection in 2012 before narrowly losing to Reimer in the 2013 general election.
Glumac said he believes his party's focus on the economy and improving affordability helped propel him to an upset victory.
He collected 10,542 votes (47% of votes cast) to Reimer's 9,122 votes (41%). Green candidate Don Barthel had 2,692 votes (12%).
"We presented a very positive vision for the future," Glumac said. "We worked hard to reach out to people and talk to them about what their needs are in the community… I am not surprised by the result."
Speaking to the party faithful Tuesday inside the Old Mill Boathouse at Rocky Point Park after being declared the winner, he said he was eager to get to work.
"It's about building a better British Columbia for all British Columbians, not just a few," he said. "And you can count on me to start working on that."
After he spoke, Reimer showed up to the event and took to the microphone, presenting Glumac with a flag of Port Moody that she received from a constituent after winning the seat in 2013.
"It is only right that I return the flag to the new member from Port Moody-Coquitlam," she said.
Reimer told The Tri-City News that she was disappointed with the result. She added that the NDP ran a strong campaign in the Lower Mainland suburbs and had targeted her riding as a potential pickup.
As for her future, she said she was planning on taking a holiday before making any major decisions.
"I was hoping to be able to serve my constituents for a second term," she said. "Who knows what the future has to hold."
PORT MOODY-COQUITLAM ELECTORAL DISTRICT RESULTS
• Rick Glumac, BC NDP: 10,542 (47.16%)
Linda Reimer, BC Liberal Party: 9,122 (40.80%)
Don Barthel, BC Green Party: 2,692 (12.04%)
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