It was a landslide tonight (Saturday) for Port Coquitlam Mayor Greg Moore, who easily clinched his third term, trouncing rival Eric Hirvonen in the civic election.
Moore, also the Metro Vancouver board chair, was re-elected to the top position in PoCo with 8,632 votes versus Hirvonen's 1,069 - a difference of 7,563 votes.
But while Moore retained his seat, a longtime councillor did not.
Coun. Michael Wright, a staunch arts advocate and a veteran of more than three decades of public service in Port Coquitlam, lost his seat while newcomer Laura Dupont won a spot on council.
"It's come to an end," Wright told The Tri-City News, immediately after the results were published online, "but I think 33 years is a good run."
Wright said he'll be taking a break following the month-long campaign and enjoying some golf, but as for returning to city hall to take on citizen appointments, "I'm not going to commit to anything at the moment."
Wright also extended his best wishes to Dupont, saying she "worked extremely hard" to win a council seat.
A thrilled Dupont credited her team for helping become councillor. "It's been fun, just like a roller coaster," she said of the race. And she pledged to fight for better transportation planning and more transit on behalf of PoCo constituents.
Moore said the need for more public transit was the main theme in the campaign. "It's the first time that I've heard transit as the number one issue rather than wanting more driving lanes," he said. "People want to see more buses and better connections."
Meanwhile, Coun. Brad West topped the polls as he did in 2011, collected 6,690 votes (three years ago, 5,219 ballots were cast in his favour).
Dupont earned the second position with 5,876 votes while 14-year councillor Darrell Penner - the chair of the city's transportation committee and a spokesperson for the Hyde Creek hatchery, which tomorrow (Sunday) hosts its annual salmon festival - took third spot with 5,844 votes.
Councillor Mike Forrest, the chair of the city's planning committee, won fourth spot with 5,349 votes and union-endorsed councillors Glenn Pollock and Dean Washington, who campaigned with West, held the last two positions, with 5,173 and 4,795 votes respectively.
Nancy McCurrach, who is on the executive board for the New Westminster and District Labour Council and had been door knocking for months to win a civic job, lost to Washington by 811 votes.
The voter turnout was 26% - an increase of 5% over the 2011 election, a city spokesperson said.
The last council meeting for the incumbents is Monday, Nov. 24.
@jwarrenTC
UNOFFICIAL RESULTS
(winners in bold)
MAYOR
Greg Moore 8,632
Eric Hirvonen 1,069
COUNCIL
Brad West 6,690
Laura Dupont 5,876
Darrell Penner 5,844
Michael Forrest 5,349
Glenn Pollock 5,173
Dean Washington 4,795
Nancy McCurrach 3,984
Michael Wright 3,912
Sherry Carroll 3,042
Amrit Gill 1,627
Riyaz Lakhani 1,371
Wayne Marklund 1,046
Erhan Demirkaya 691
