Voting wrapped up at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 6 and the results were in by 9 p.m. – Ian Oostindie has been voted the newest Sylvan Lake town councillor.
Of the estimated 12,000 voters in Sylvan Lake, 866 cast a ballot in this by-election, which equals just over seven per cent of the eligible population. Oostindie earned 234 of those votes.
The official results will be released by the returning officer at noon on the fourth day after the election, in accordance with the Local Authorities Election Act. There were six voting stations set up, as well as advanced and mobile voting options.
The next regular town council meeting will be held on Monday, Sept. 12, and councillor Oostindie will be sworn in on that day at 5 p.m. His duties will start that evening at 6 p.m. for the meeting.
As written in his election profile, Oostindie is a recently retired educator and he was named Sylvan Lake’s Citizen of the Year in 2011. He and his wife, Debbie, moved to Sylvan Lake from the Yukon in 2007.
“It is an honour to receive someone’s trust by their vote,” Oostindie said after the election results were announced. “And even those who wished for another candidate, I respect that. In the next three years, I hope to show that I will represent a fair voice for all Sylvan Lakers. It takes a village to do everything we want.”
Oostindie thanked his wife, family and friends for their help and encouragement along the way. “I am indebted to my wife, Debbie, who has encouraged me, along with family and friends, to serve on town council,” he said. “These people knew I love this type of organizational work and love to serve the community. For years I have put aside the idea of running for public office. However, this summer I retired from my education career and was seeking another work life when the by-election for councillor presented itself just days after leaving my previous career. I am now able to balance my volunteerism with my family, without the commitment of my career. To serve a community, I believe it needs a great deal of focus.”
Oostindie thanked the other candidates, as well, and he said he hopes to be able to collaborate with Sylvan Lakers and government officials to make the town the best it can be.
The by-election was called in July when then-councillor Kendall Kloss stepped down to accept a vice-principal position at the Canadian International School in Vietnam.
While Oostindie earned 234 votes, the rest of the results are as follows: Chelsey Lambert earned 129 votes, Liz Bishop had 124 votes, Michael Williams had 105 votes, Jordan Sinclair with 85 votes, Danny Scott earned 76 votes, Deborah Wiens earned 45 votes, Laura Lauder received 35 votes, Percy Bryant earned 18 votes and Dale Plante received 15 votes.