Joy, excitement, and utter relief.
Gerry St. Pierre experienced a mix of emotions last week on learning he was to become Barrhead’s new Mayor.
There was also a deep appreciation for his opponent Mark Vriend, whose strong campaign had ensured the race turned into a genuine contest.
Such is the respect St. Pierre gained for his opponent, that he would like to find a role for him in municipal affairs.
“I will be talking to him,” St. Pierre said last Tuesday. “I would like to tap his mind for certain ideas.”
St. Pierre beat Vriend by 961 votes to 630 on a night of high tension.
The winning Town councillor candidates were Ryan Warehime, 1,138; Shelley Oswald, 1,068; Don Smith, 971; Ty Assaf, 952; Roy Ulmer, 919; and Leslie Penny, 809.
Mickey Fitzgerald lost out, despite claiming a creditable 436 votes.
The new Mayor and councillors were due to be sworn in at yesterday’s council meeting.
Returning officer Cheryl Callihoo said there had been a comparatively high turnout of 46 per cent at the polling stations – about 10 per cent higher than in 2010, when only councillor posts were at stake since Mayor Brian Schulz and the school board trustees had been acclaimed.
“It was a very good election,” said Callihoo. “There was a lot of interest this time.
“I think we have ended up with a good mix of experience and youth on council.”
St. Pierre did not go to the Multi-Purpose Room for the count on Monday, Oct. 21. He stayed at home with family and friends, waiting for his campaign manager, former Mayor Sir Gurevitch, to relay news.
“I wouldn’t have been comfortable being at the Multi-Purpose Room,” he said. “I feel I would have been in the way.
“When I heard the results I was naturally delighted. I was also relieved.”
The 331-vote margin was a lot less than many in the area had anticipated.
St. Pierre, 60, acknowledges he started the race with an advantage over his younger rival.
As a retired manager of the Barrhead &District Co-Op, a Town councillor between 1998 and 2004, and former president of the Chamber of Commerce, he already had a high-profile in the community.
In addition, in July he helped pilot the 55-Plus Summer Games in Barrhead and Westlock, an event hailed a tremendous success.
Vriend, in contrast, was a political novice, albeit someone who had made a name for himself in local business circles, being associated with companies like Trak Construction, Barrhead Sand and Gravel and Coutts River Logging.
In recent years he scaled back his business activities to focus on recovering from a major cancer ordeal. Thanks to a life-saving bone marrow transplant he was fit enough to challenge for Mayor.
Casting himself as an aggressively pro-business candidate, 47-year-old Vriend threw himself into a high-energy campaign, backed by vigorous advertising.
St. Pierre was impressed.
“He ran a very respectable, aggressive, positive and upbeat campaign,” said St. Pierre.
Knowing he could not afford to be complacent, St. Pierre was forced to up his game.
He embarked on an extensive door-knocking exercise, reaching about 95 per cent of households.
“Mark Vriend made me earn my votes,” he said.
St. Pierre said he had learned a lot during the campaign. Many concerns expressed by residents related to issues like cracked sidewalks, road repairs, unsightly premises, and cat poop.
“These are important to people,” he said. “They want us to deal with them.”
St. Pierre said the campaign had left him tired, but he was looking forward to rolling up his sleeves and getting to work with the new council.
Vriend was disappointed by the outcome, but pleased by the high turnout.
“It’s amazing to me how many people voted, it’s got to be a record,” he said.
He added that in a regular election more than 600 votes could well have been enough to win.
Vriend wished Gerry St. Pierre well.
“I would like to say thanks to all those who believed in me and I would like to say congratulations to our new Mayor and council,” he said.
“I would encourage them to be progressive, forward-thinking and to truly believe in our town and what it can do. May God bless you all.”
