Roger Varley, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
With the exception of two new faces, Uxbridge council will remain unchanged following the municipal election.
All the incumbents dominated their challengers, with Ward 4 incumbent Willie Popp crushing his opponent, Alex Orr, by taking 81.4 per cent of the vote.
Uxbridge’s new council and one of two newly elected Durham District School Board (DDSB) trustees assembled in front of Kydd House at the Uxbridge Historical Centre for the first time since being elected Monday during the province-wide municipal election. Front row, from left: Ward 5 councillor-elect Christine McKenzie; Pam Beach, re-elected councillor for Ward 1; re-elected Mayor Dave Barton; and re-elected Regional Councillor Bruce Garrod. Back row, from left: Ward 3 councillor-elect Craig Marlatt; DDSB trustee-elect Dave Brown (not pictured, DDSB trustee-elect Paul Breeze); Gordon Shreeve, re-elected councillor for Ward 2; and Willie Popp, re-elected councillor for Ward 4. Photo by John Cavers
Mayor Dave Barton, facing opposition from Ian Giffin and Ted Eng, garnered 64.2 per cent and regional councillor Bruce Garrod sank Jeff Mittman by taking 77.5 per cent of the vote.
Gord Shreeve retained Ward 2 with 79.5 per cent while Pam Beach held onto Ward 1 with 43.9 per cent after being challenged by four opponents.
The two new faces on council will be Christine McKenzie and Craig Marlatt in Ward 5 and Ward 3 respectively. With former councillors Todd Snooks and Zed Pickering deciding not to run for re-election, McKenzie pulled in 76.3 per cent and Marlatt registered 67.1 per cent of the vote.
Paul Breeze and Dave Brown took the two school trustee seats for the Durham District School Board, while Richard Damianopoulos was acclaimed to the Durham Catholic District School Board.
The township's official results page showed that, out of 188,771 eligible voters, only 9,268 or 49.4 per cent chose to cast their ballots.
The returning council members and both newcomers will be sworn in at an inaugural meeting at the council chambers on Monday, Nov. 16 at 7 p.m.
Barton said Tuesday he is thrilled with the new council.
"Everyone brings something different to the table, and I believe we’re going to accomplish a lot together," he said.
Barton said there is work to be done that council will have to take up quickly.
“We have huge projects underway, including the hospital and long-term care home, the opening of the new animal shelter, construction of the new pool, the expansion of Uxbridge Urban Provincial Park and the most intensive work yet on our new Town Square," he said.
Barton said the ideas and concerns that were heard from residents during the election campaign "will come through loud and clear in our council meetings and discussions with staff."
He said data released so far shows that Uxbridge had the highest voter turnout (49.4 per cent) in Durham, York and the City of Toronto, "although we’re still waiting to confirm some final numbers."