A new Gibsons council takes the reins on Dec. 6 with two new faces after the Nov. 19 municipal election.
Topping the polls were incumbents Gerry Tretick and LeeAnn Johnson, who mustered 989 and 954 votes respectively in the polls.
They were followed by newcomers Charlene SanJenko and Daniel Bouman in an election that saw 57 per cent of eligible voters cast their ballots - one of the highest voter turnouts in the province.
"I'm looking forward to having my say at the council table as opposed to always appearing as a delegate and being in the gallery," Bouman said. "My priority is to give ideas a chance."
Describing himself as an environmentalist, Bouman said his reach in the community of green electors helped leverage him into the final council seat, besting Hammy McClymont by a mere 32 votes in the preliminary tally.
He echoed his hope that the new council will be responsive and attentive to the desires of the public, especially where major projects like Gospel Rock are concerned.
"It's kind of ironic that the Gospel Rock issue is a major issue in the campaign and a lot of people said they're kind of tired of hearing about [it]," he said, predicting that new direction might give the debate more longevity.
For SanJenko, community engagement is also going to play a large role in her term as councillor.
"It will be interesting to see how things pan out," she said on election night. "I can say my biggest interest is community outreach. On staff there isn't someone who specializes in community outreach and communications."
The youngest of the new municipal government, SanJenko said her energy and enthusiasm is something she wants to share with residents.
She described her being elected as both gratifying and a confirmation that residents share her ambitions.
"I think it's great that people got involved with this election, so let's keep that going," she said.
Returning incumbent Johnson agreed.
"Good local governance involves people just as much in between the elections as it does at elections," Johnson said. "People do care about the community, and I think they'll continue to do that as long as we continue good public processes."
During this term, Johnson said she has her sights set on affordable housing and working to get bylaws in place to enforce the aims of the official community plan.
After topping the polls, Tretick said he took great satisfaction in knowing the community continues to support his work on council.
"I've always said I represent the entire community, not just those who show up at council," he explained.
He added his expectation is that the new council will continue to represent the different viewpoints of the community, saying his hope is that the energy of the election can be carried through the term in a positive way.
"With the people who are on council, they have the potential to do that," he said.
After six years on council, Bob Curry said he was optimistic about the results despite not being elected to a third term.
"It's great to see some young people on council, particularly Charlene. She really drew in quite a number of votes which was very good to see," Curry said, praising the high turnout.
While he said he was disappointed he would not get a chance to return, Curry thanked the residents of Gibsons for giving him six years to serve his community. He also said he'll continue to be involved in any way he can.
And he had one piece of advice for the new council and its constituents.
"There was some venom out there and that was unfortunate to see both sides are guilty," he said. "There's no room for that in a small town like ours."
