Mike Metcalf has been elected mayor Trent Hills and he’ll have four newcomers joining him on council, including three women, a dramatic change from the current council.
Metcalf, who has been deputy mayor, handily defeated newcomer Steven Haylestrom – 3,474 votes to 1,087.
Rick English was acclaimed as deputy mayor, since he was not opposed.
Current mayor Bob Crate and current councillor Dennis Savery were both defeated in Ward 5 (Hastings) by newcomer Ethan Armit. Armit received 694 votes, Crate 280 and Savery 169.
Another newcomer, Jana Reid won in ward 1 in a close three-way race. She received 229 votes, Karen Ulrich had 203 and Adam Baguley had 197.
Incumbent Rob Pope was re-elected in ward 2. Pope received 217 votes, Erick Baron-Joyner had 124, Adam Briggs 118 and Tina Burke 61.
In ward 3 (Campbellford), newcomer Viv Smallwood defeated Sandra Walls and Nader Eid. Smallwood received 496 votes, Walls 442 and Eid 217.
In ward 4, (Warkworth), another female newcomer, Leslie Mahoney, won with 493 votes, defeating Ken Tully who was trying to regain the seat after skipping a term. Tully received 318 votes, Emilio Ojeda gained 269 and Meg McLean had 132.
Most of the winning candidates were on hand in the council chambers when the results were announced shortly after 8:30 p.m. These results are unofficial but will be confirmed on Tuesday.
The turnout was up marginally from four years ago – 33.1 per cent of voters took part, up from 32.2 per cent in 2022.
Congratulations to all! Nice to welcome the newcomers to lots of work ahead!