The results are in for the Gambier Island local trustees election, and incumbent Jan Hagedorn will be joined by newcomer Kate-Louise Stamford.
It was a close race that saw Hagedorn secure 136 votes and Stamford 126 in the preliminary results. Coming third was Bruce Bingham with 108 followed by Lynn Leboe and incumbent Joyce Clegg.
Voter turnout in the poll was 54 per cent.
Stamford said she will benefit from her experience as the secretary at local trust committee meetings.
"I'm absolutely thrilled. I think it was important to get more and more people out to vote. That was my focus and it looks like we really increased the voting numbers," she said.
She pointed to a divide in the community that separates those who support the trust mandate and those who have taken issue with its aims as a reason the race was both challenging and well attended.
"It's quite a big job ahead of us to continue to support the trust mandate," Stamford said.
Her primary focus this term will be to increase communication with the constituents and work towards the possibility of creating a national park on Gambier Island.
Hagedorn agreed and said she is looking forward to working with Stamford on the cause.
"I'd really like to look at that, to see if Gambierites are interested," she said. "There's a lot of Crown land if Parks Canada's really sincere about wanting to create a park close to Vancouver."
Also on the docket for Hagedorn is the completion of a land use bylaw for the associated islands.
"I would like to say thank you so much for voting. The turnout was awesome," she said.
