The Oct. 16 Municipal Election meant the end of the line for the majority of incumbent Westlock County councillors.
For some it was the end of one term, while for others it meant retirement from politics.
For reeve and Div. 5 councillor Don Savage, his seven years on council was ended by a single vote. Savage and Darrell Osmond both ended up with 109 votes Oct. 16, however a ballot that was initially nixed for being spoiled was found valid on recount.
Savage said the tie surprised him as he had expected a better result.
“There’s a lot of people that just never voted,” he said. “Generally we garner about 360 votes, 350, and there was 218 here. That was prevalent in Ray Marquette’s division and Dennis Primeau’s division, but it certainly wasn’t true for Julyan and Zadunayski — that was a very good turnout there.”
He added that Divs. 2 and 6 also had a good turnout.
Unlike Primeau who said he should have campaigned, Savage said he canvassed the whole division.
“It’s hard to catch everybody. You only get to catch maybe 20 per cent on any given day because people work, so all I could do was leave my card in the door. It’s hard to address that and I don’t know if campaigning was the trouble. I just think there was a complacency there.”
Now that he’s officially retired from politics, he said he would help out his children on the farm.
“It was a real honour for me to serve here for seven years. I would like to thank the people for giving me that privilege. I was very privileged and wish the new council all the luck in their tenure and I would also like to say thank you to administration. I’ve always had the highest respects from them and that makes you feel good.”
Div. 1’s Ron Zadunayski also ended his seven years on council when he lost to Victor Julyan by 88 votes.
“My wife was very surprised,” he said. “I knew it would be a tough go because of the bad press we got for the last couple years and also because of the review from Municipal Affairs which Bud Massey and I asked for, and I don’t think it was fair.”
He added that the good weather for harvest also drew people away from the polls and that turnout was lower than the last election.
Reflecting back, he said council accomplished a lot in his first term and it was very pleasant, but the last four years were a struggle and filled with turmoil.
“When I got the results, I slept very well, I feel very relaxed, like a load has been taken off of me. I’m not sorry at all. If you don’t like your job, don’t do it.”
Although he said he was a little disappointed to lose, it didn’t “kick (him) back” as this would have been his last term since he turns 71 in February.
“It’s getting to the point where we need younger people,” he said. “We’ve got some younger people in there now with this election, which is a good thing. They’ll be able to devote more years to it if they get elected to a second term.”
With that being said, he said the new council would lose that knowledge base from experienced councillors who were around when certain decisions were made.
Now that he is retired, he plans to spend more time fishing and wished the new council well.
Marquette, who received 105 votes to Lou Hall’s 108 in Div. 3, said he thought he lost because voters associated him with the controversy at the county that started before he joined council in 2016.
“I feel there would be a change in all of council…and I’m pretty sure I was painted with the same brush as the other ones,” Marquette said. “The lady that ran against me, she didn’t know I went in halfway through the election year.”
Marquette said he was able to get out and campaign for a few days and even though he lost, he planned on running again in four years.
“I was being a councillor to help my county, I didn’t consider it a job,” he noted. “I don’t have a problem with retired people being on council, but really, it should be someone that’s active in the county and is looking forward and trying to grow themselves and grow the county.”
Younger people elected will be good for the county, he noted, and hoped something positive will come of it.
However he hoped more would have voted as turnout this election was 37.6 per cent.
“That’s pretty disappointing,” he said. “If you go to a coffee shop or you see someone on the street, it seems like there was bad stuff in the paper about the county, everyone could complain.
“If everyone’s complaining and only 35 per cent voted, then 65 per cent shouldn’t be talking. If you’re not willing to vote to make a difference or step up and run, you really shouldn’t be complaining.”
Former Div. 6 Coun. Mel Kroetsch could not be reached for comment.
