After Getting Some Sleep, It's Time To Say 'Thank You' A Few Times

I didn’t get home Election Night until close to 4:00 AM the following morning. That was because I stayed at Town Hall during the process of releasing the tally numbers to the public. I then got home and found I had to respond to some messages that were waiting for me. I got about 90-minutes sleep and was up early so that my wife and I could get on the road to meet a previous commitment. Last night I slept about 13-hours – very unusual for me. So, this morning I find myself still processing what has happened. I’m shaking my head trying not to overdo my thoughts on the final results. Instead, I want to share with you the results from my perspective.
 
The Evening of ‘The Count’
 
There was a social event set up at Town Hall in the Council Chambers for Candidates (and spouses/partners) along with the Media. The doors opened at 7:30 PM Election Night and we were treated to some snacks and allowed access to the partial ballot totals as they were coming in. I was actually nervous when I went in and felt anxious for about the first hour I was there. It was the first time during the entire election campaign I had this feeling.
 
During the evening, assorted Candidates and wives/partners arrived and once the numbers started to come in things were beginning to become very clear. The Advance Poll totals were nothing short of amazing. A total of 302 voters had participated and the voting results at that point were very incredible. I was happy to see myself sitting at 4th place out of 15 Candidates and that calmed me down.
 
When the second set of Ballot Boxes were tallied, I had jumped up to 3rd place and pretty much lost any sense of anxiety. In fact, by this time, and it was already very late into the evening, I was feeling pretty good about how the election was going. A number of the Candidates who had come into the Council Chambers to experience the evening had decided at this point to go elsewhere for the rest of the count.
 
The third set of Ballot Boxes saw me slide back down to 4th place and the margins got a lot tighter on either side of my tally. While that didn’t get me too worked up, I did start preparing myself mentally for resuming my present life as a freelance writer who tried his best to seek a seat on Town Council. I was already kind of writing ‘thank you’ notes in my head, patted myself on the back for trying, and noted it was well into the next day already.
 
I ended up being the only person there with the two election officials (Cheryl and Carrie) for about the last two hours of the evening. The final Mayor Ballot Box totals had come in and we waited, and waited for the final Councillor numbers to be available. It was at 3:39 AM when I posted them online. I had been elected to Town Council finishing with the 4th Councillor seat.
 
The Gift The Voters Have Given Me
 
Aside from voting to support me, which I truly appreciate and thank each of you for doing, the group of individuals I have been blessed to work with over the next four years is nothing short of amazing to me. The mayor-elect is Spencer Coyne. Not only is he a friend, the two of us have known each other for decades and have worked together in the Media for a number of years. I know where his heart is and I cannot say enough about the passion he has for family, tradition and progress.
 
The group of Councillors-elect I get to share the table with is equally as incredible from my point of view. Barb Gould and I have a lengthy friendship that dates back several years. Her experience in the Administrative department in Town Hall in her previous career will be a huge asset. I don’t know Tyler Willis well just yet but I know his family and his background. There is no doubt that he and I are going to get along well. I’ve known Randy McLean for as long as I’ve lived in Princeton. He has accomplished a great deal in the many roles he has played on and off Town Council.
 
The ‘Thank You’ Part
 
Before I get too far I need to say Thank You to the other Candidates. I purposely launched my campaign on January 1, 2018 with hopes of encouraging other community members to step up. I did not expect so much interest. At one point there were 4 Mayoral Candidates and 16 vying for the four Councillor seats. I expected the numbers to be far less than that but was encouraged just the same.

Plus, I think I may have made a few new friends out of the list of Candidates. The Town of Princeton (and Area H) is home to some very talented people. I hope that some of the Candidates can continue to play active roles in the community as I would hate to see some of these talents go to waste.
 
To the Incumbents: Thank you for your dedication to Princeton and the people who call Princeton home. There is no doubt there have been difficult decisions to make – as there always will be – and each of you has much to be proud of. Thank you Frank, Doug, Rosemary, Jerome and Kim. You have all given the new Town Council a lot to ponder. Thank you for your service.
 
To the people ‘working’ the Election: There were a lot of people involved in keeping the Municipal Election running smoothly and in accordance with guidelines set by Elections BC. I thank all of them for the long hours they put into this election. That includes the Advance Poll and on General Election day. I’m sure no one expected it to be such a long process this time around. My thanks also go to the individual Candidate Scrutineers. Your dedication to monitoring the process cannot go unnoticed. Thank you for being there.
 
I can’t wait to get to work with this awesome team the voters of Princeton have assembled and chosen me to be a part of. I have truly been blessed with being grouped together with four amazing individuals you have appointed to push Princeton into the future. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to serve you. Thank you for your support. Thank you, Princeton for putting together what I think is going to be a winning team.