Burns Lake has a new mayor. But everyone in town already knew that. With incumbent Dolores Funk stepping down and no past mayor joining the campaign, it was foregone that the position would go to someone new.
The mayor’s slate came down to a pair of candidates. One was Henry Wiebe, previously a town councillor, and the other was John Rauch who was making his second attempt at the position.
In the end it was Wiebe who prevailed, taking the election results 201 to 76.
About 1,500 eligible voters had another decision to make for Burns Lake. Who would be the town’s council team? Four available positions were up for grabs. The candidates were incumbents Kristy Bjarnason, Charlie Rensby and Kevin White joined on the ballot by new challengers David Cummer and Darrell Hill.
Only one would be destined to fall off the table, and that turned out to be Cummer who nonetheless came close with 148 votes. White received 210, Hill got 190, Bjarnason earned 188 and Rensby had 155 to round out the council table.
The rural communities also had their representatives to select for the Regional District of Bulkley-Nechako.
The most immediate areas to Burns Lake had incumbents Michael Riis-Christianson (Burns Lake Rural) and Clint Lambert (Francois-Ootsa Lake Rural) acclaimed. The only run-offs were in regions elsewhere in the RD.
School District 91 saw one incumbent, Rick Pooley, returned by acclamation in the Burns Lake electoral area. In the ward for Decker Lake-Topley-Granisle, incumbent Stephen Davis regained his seat with a 62-37 victory over challenger Janina Vanden Bos.
Meanwhile Nyree Hazelton also maintained her trustee seat with a 136-106 electoral win over challenger Terah Albertson in the Grassy Plains-Francois Lake ward.
In the Endako-Fraser Lake-Fort Fraser electoral area, incumbent Dave Christie kept his spot at the trustees’ table with a 203-102 victory over challenger Dave Forsberg.