Voters in Summerland chose an experienced council and incumbent school trustees during the municipal election on Oct. 15.
There were two mayoral candidates, 13 councillor candidates for six seats and four trustee candidates for two positions.
Doug Holmes, a councillor for the past eight years, received 2,634 voters or 73.4 per cent support from those who cast ballots. Chuck Pinnell, who also was on the ballot for mayor, received 859 votes.
Incumbent councillors Erin Trainer, Marty Van Alphen, Richard Barkwill and Doug Patan were re-elected. Janet Peake, a previous Summerland councillor, also won a seat on council.
The sole newcomer to the council table was Adrienne Betts.
Toni Boot, who had served as mayor for the past four years, had stepped down from that role and was running as a councillor. She was the only candidate from the past council not to win a seat.
Others on the ballot were Blair Parker, Nick Redding, Mark Smed, Brad Besler, Doug Loepp and Peter Bognar.
Erin Carlson, a councillor from 2014 to 2022, did not seek re-election.
After the election, Holmes said he was pleased with the outcome of the election.
“We’re going to have an experienced council, which is good. People like the direction we’re heading,” he said.
At the inaugural meeting on Nov. 7, Holmes made his first motion to have a deputy mayor with him for the four-year term.
In the past, the six members of council took turns as acting mayor when the mayor was away.
The deputy mayor role, with greater responsibilities than those of an acting mayor, also comes with an extra $600 a month stipend.
Trainer, a councillor for the past eight years, was named deputy mayor. The position will be reviewed in two years.
“It will benefit the community to have a deputy mayor who is competent and has experience,” Holmes said. “We are fortunate that we have someone who is young and experienced. Having worked with Ms. Trainer for eight years, I have every confidence in her.”
On the school board, incumbents Dave Stathers and Linda Van Alphen were elected to the two Summerland positions on the Okanagan Skaha school board.
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