Strathmore celebrates historic municipal election

Posted on: Staff Writer

From edition: October 20 2017 Strathmore Times

By Miriam Ostermann, Associate Editor

In the wake of weeks of campaigning, candidates vowed to address various issues facing Strathmore, including recreation, crime, youth, downtown revitalization, seniors and streamlining processes. While the turnout was not favourable for former councillors Rocky Blokland and Steve Grajczyk, or for hopeful candidates John Hilton O’Brien, Gordon Porteous, Peter Landry and mayoral candidate Earl Best, Lorraine Bauer and Tari Cockx were overcome with emotion and appreciation at the civic centre shortly after results were announced. “It feels so good to be more a part of a town that has embraced me over the last 16 years, and I’m thrilled to be the peoples’ representative,” said Bauer. “It’s absolutely fantastic for women, for Strathmore, for relationships. I really believe that this is going to be the start of some amazing partnerships.” During the last municipal election on Oct. 21, 2013, now former Mayor Michael Ell received 59.64 per cent of the vote with a total of 1,513 ballots. Ell announced he would not seek re-election after one term and instead focus on retirement. While an increase in voter turnout can be credited to the candidates themselves, returning officer for the Town of Strathmore Jennifer Sawatzky stated that additional voting opportunities – such as early voting and mail-in ballots – contributed to a rise in numbers. Although Fule has seven years experience sitting on council with a few stints as deputy mayor, Strathmore’s top elected position may pose a learning curve in the future. “I’m scared because it’s a whole different thing, and I’m used to working with high school students all day, so this is going to be a huge change for me,” Fule said. “I had come to get used to working with the councillors that I had before so I was pulling for the incumbents just because I know them so well so I was hoping they would be successful. I have nothing against anyone else. Just when you work with someone for four or seven years you want to have loyalty for them. So I’m disappointed for a couple of them. That being said, I’m excited to see the new council and I think they can do some great things.” Strathmore town council will attend their first official regular town council meeting on Oct. 25. Doug Taylor Photo

In the wake of weeks of campaigning, candidates vowed to address various issues facing Strathmore, including recreation, crime, youth, downtown revitalization, seniors and streamlining processes.
While the turnout was not favourable for former councillors Rocky Blokland and Steve Grajczyk, or for hopeful candidates John Hilton O’Brien, Gordon Porteous, Peter Landry and mayoral candidate Earl Best, Lorraine Bauer and Tari Cockx were overcome with emotion and appreciation at the civic centre shortly after results were announced.
“It feels so good to be more a part of a town that has embraced me over the last 16 years, and I’m thrilled to be the peoples’ representative,” said Bauer. “It’s absolutely fantastic for women, for Strathmore, for relationships. I really believe that this is going to be the start of some amazing partnerships.”
During the last municipal election on Oct. 21, 2013, now former Mayor Michael Ell received 59.64 per cent of the vote with a total of 1,513 ballots. Ell announced he would not seek re-election after one term and instead focus on retirement. While an increase in voter turnout can be credited to the candidates themselves, returning officer for the Town of Strathmore Jennifer Sawatzky stated that additional voting opportunities – such as early voting and mail-in ballots – contributed to a rise in numbers.
Although Fule has seven years experience sitting on council with a few stints as deputy mayor, Strathmore’s top elected position may pose a learning curve in the future.
“I’m scared because it’s a whole different thing, and I’m used to working with high school students all day, so this is going to be a huge change for me,” Fule said.
“I had come to get used to working with the councillors that I had before so I was pulling for the incumbents just because I know them so well so I was hoping they would be successful. I have nothing against anyone else. Just when you work with someone for four or seven years you want to have loyalty for them. So I’m disappointed for a couple of them. That being said, I’m excited to see the new council and I think they can do some great things.”
Strathmore town council will attend their first official regular town council meeting on Oct. 25.
Doug Taylor Photo
In following suit with a mayoral landslide victory and the largest voter turnout in recent years, Strathmore’s municipal election transformed into one for the books on Monday night, when all four female council candidates secured a seat on the local government body and declared a gender majority – the first in Strathmore’s history.
Emotions ran high at 8 p.m. after polls closed at the Strathmore Civic Centre and a total of 3,259 ballots were processed. While votes were tallied at 9:40 p.m. the candidates were left waiting in anticipation until 10:20 p.m. when results were publicly announced.
Meanwhile, in Wheatland County, the outcome suggests residents wanted to clean house by introducing new and younger members and, like Strathmore, increasing the number of women on council.
In Strathmore, Lorraine Bauer, Tari Cockx, Melanie Corbiell and incumbent Denise Peterson will be joining Jason Montgomery and returning Councillor Bob Sobol at the table as Strathmore town council representatives.
With a sweeping victory in a two-horse race, newly elected Mayor Pat Fule celebrated a monumental 2,773 votes on Oct. 16.
“I am stunned that the Strathmore public supported me so overwhelmingly and I’m grateful that they came out in the number they did,” said Fule.
“I think that’s great. I think it’s timely and I think the people who are elected, I’ve known them off and on for quite a few years, regardless of their gender, they’re good people and they have some bright ideas, some different ideas that are out of the box. I think it’s exciting to be looking ahead to working with some new faces.
“I think we can start from a clean slate and we can all work together to make the town better and, in turn, work with the county because we’re all united on a lot of things.”
Fule announced his intentions of retiring from a 34-year-long teaching career when he feels the time is best for his students.
In the wake of weeks of campaigning, candidates vowed to address various issues facing Strathmore, including recreation, crime, youth, downtown revitalization, seniors and streamlining processes.
While the turnout was not favourable for former councillors Rocky Blokland and Steve Grajczyk, or for hopeful candidates John Hilton O’Brien, Gordon Porteous, Peter Landry and mayoral candidate Earl Best, Lorraine Bauer and Tari Cockx were overcome with emotion and appreciation at the civic centre shortly after results were announced.
“It feels so good to be more a part of a town that has embraced me over the last 16 years, and I’m thrilled to be the peoples’ representative,” said Bauer. “It’s absolutely fantastic for women, for Strathmore, for relationships. I really believe that this is going to be the start of some amazing partnerships.”
During the last municipal election on Oct. 21, 2013, now former Mayor Michael Ell received 59.64 per cent of the vote with a total of 1,513 ballots. Ell announced he would not seek re-election after one term and instead focus on retirement. While an increase in voter turnout can be credited to the candidates themselves, returning officer for the Town of Strathmore Jennifer Sawatzky stated that additional voting opportunities – such as early voting and mail-in ballots – contributed to a rise in numbers.
Although Fule has seven years experience sitting on council with a few stints as deputy mayor, Strathmore’s top elected position may pose a learning curve in the future.
“I’m scared because it’s a whole different thing, and I’m used to working with high school students all day, so this is going to be a huge change for me,” Fule said.
“I had come to get used to working with the councillors that I had before so I was pulling for the incumbents just because I know them so well so I was hoping they would be successful. I have nothing against anyone else. Just when you work with someone for four or seven years you want to have loyalty for them. So I’m disappointed for a couple of them. That being said, I’m excited to see the new council and I think they can do some great things.”
Strathmore town council will attend their first official regular town council meeting on Oct. 25.