Voters in Saanich have elected Karen Harper as their newest city councillor.
Thousands of people marked their ballots across the municipality on Saturday.
Ten candidates were in the running.
Harper received 2,340 votes, followed closely by Rebecca Jane Mersereau with 2,238.
Harper spent Sunday morning taking down signs across the region, saying she plans to have them all down by Monday.
The former teacher and senior vice-president of the BC Pension says her victory hasn’t sunk in just yet.
“It feels marvelous that the issues that I was able to identify over the last three years of attending Saanich council resonated with enough people that I was elected,” Harper said.
During the campaign Harper says she focused on the municipality’s budget and the property tax rate that has gone up over the past three years, land-use planning and the EDPA.
The councillor-elect says her vision for Saanich is that it will become more affordable for residents and businesses.
“Ten years from now it will be a place where people can afford to live there, where businesses can afford to come because the tax rates will be under control,” Harper said. “Where people young to old will be able to live in their communities and age in place … and where people will be able to enjoy the environment, but also enjoy their personal properties.”
A total of 9,521 votes were cast in this year’s byelection.
The byelection was called to fill the vacancy left by the death of longtime councillor Vic Derman in March.
“I think in terms of the byelection, the issues have changed since Vic was first elected to council so from my perspective it’s about following through on the issues and commitments that I made to the public,” Harper said. “No one will ever fill anyone else’s shoes, that’s not possible.”
Harper will be sworn in on Oct. 16.
