The Town of Gibsons has a new mayor, as Wayne Rowe defeated incumbent and four-term mayor Barry Janyk by 365 votes in last Saturday's municipal election.
Voter turnout was 57 per cent as residents flocked to the polls to register their votes in a highly-charged campaign. The percentage was one of the highest in the province.
As the former town councillor settles in to his new role as mayor, one of the first tasks will be to mend divisions wrought by the campaign while working to ensure the level of political involvement by Gibsons residents endures.
"It is about balance. You have to listen and respect the various interests in our community," he said. "Give us a bit of time, and I'm quite certain they will see that I'm not the ogre I was presented to be."
Another priority of Rowe's is to finish the incorporation of the Harbour Plan into the official community plan.
Once that is accomplished, the new mayor said the focus will switch to other priorities.
One thing Rowe is interested in exploring is a cure for Highway 101 congestion, especially during peak hours when the ferry offloads.
"Residents are frustrated, businesses are frustrated, travellers are frustrated," he said, suggesting a return to four lanes through town might be a necessity until a bypass can be built.
Weekly committee-of-the-whole meetings are also under consideration as Rowe wants to look at ways to court further community engagement in municipal affairs.
The hope is that by having more meetings, applications can be dealt with faster with more accessible opportunities for residents to voice their opinions.
Joining the council table are two new faces, Charlene SanJenko and Dan Bouman. Combined with incumbents LeeAnn Johnson and Gerry Tretick, Rowe said a wealth of experience is available for various appointments.
"They've given us a young councillor, they've given us a balance in gender and I think they've given us a balance in leanings," he said. "The Town's given us a balance, and I think they've said 'OK, you better figure out how you're going to work with this.'"
He echoed his confidence in the capabilities of the new council and said compromise will be an integral aspect of the decision making process.
But there will be challenges, Rowe admitted, pointing to the economic realities facing Gibsons and the world.
"I'm looking at about an 18-month time frame out there, and I think you're going to see a real change in the economic environment here," he predicted. "What we have to do right now is lay the groundwork for that."
Ways he said that could be achieved include speeding up applications and welcoming investors and families to the Town.
Overall, Rowe wanted to express his gratitude to the residents of Gibsons who came out to vote.
"We're going to do our best to ensure that they're not disappointed," he pledged.
