Mayor Sue McKortoff gives a thumbs up after being handily re-elected. She defeated her only opponent, Doug “Stone Dan” Pederson with 1,379 votes to 162. McKortoff is the only woman on the new council. (Richard McGuire photo)

Osoyoos voters chose experience over demographic diversity when they went to the polls Saturday and on two previous advance voting days.

All three incumbents – Mayor Sue McKortoff and councillors C.J. Rhodes and Jim King – were re-elected.

They are joined by newcomers Brian Harvey and Myers Bennett.

Harvey, who ran a strong campaign knocking on many doors in the community, picked up 1,004 votes – the most of any councillor candidate and four more than second-place finisher, incumbent Rhodes, who had 1,000.

Bennett, who has two terms of council experience in Vanderhoof, placed fourth with 686.

King, the other incumbent, placed third with 963.

McKortoff easily defeated Doug “Stone Dan” Pederson for the mayoralty, with 1,379 votes to Pederson’s 162.

On school board, incumbent Casey Brouwer returns, and is joined by education activist Brenda Dorosz, who with 1,274 votes was well ahead of the other two candidates. Brouwer got 1,015 votes and Penny Duperron, who was defeated, got 730.

McKortoff now finds herself the only woman on council.

“I’m used to that,” said McKortoff, who often finds herself as the lone female surrounded by male politicians. “I’m good at it.”

Among the defeated female councillor candidates, Jane Long did the best with 523 votes, followed by Shelley McIntyre with 457 and Sherani Theophilus with 390.

Newcomer Kenny Music, who came to Osoyoos this summer, got 349 votes, while perennial candidate Sy Murseli finished last with 329 votes. Murseli disputes the election results.

With only 1,593 votes cast from a pool of 4,120 local eligible voters, the turnout of 38.67 per cent is the lowest recorded in decades.

Although results of the 2014 election were reported at the time as a 34.75 turnout, that number is misleading. That’s because for that election only, 852 non-resident property electors were included as eligible voters. When the 2014 results are calculated like other elections, turnout was 42.37 per cent.

Until this year, the lowest turnout was 40 per cent in 2011.

While few doubted McKortoff would easily be re-elected as mayor, she refused to take a win for granted and still campaigned hard.

“You never know,” said McKortoff after votes were counted. “That’s why you campaign and that’s why you work hard and talk to people and point out why you would be good as the mayor… Obviously there were enough people that agreed with that.”

Still, when McKortoff’s daughter in San Diego, California, sent flowers, the daughter asked the florist to cross out “congratulations,” not wanting to jinx her election.

And when McKortoff spoke to her daughter on her cellphone after results were announced at the Sonora Centre on Saturday, the daughter’s elated reaction could be heard from the phone across the gymnasium.

Pederson, her opponent, who ran on a single issue of promoting cannabis and making Osoyoos the home of the Pot Hall of Fame, more than tripled his vote from the 54 he received when McKortoff beat him in 2014.

But in 2014, it was a three-way race and the other candidate, Ray Vandenberg, may have picked up some of the votes that went to Pederson this time.

After the election, Pederson admitted he never really thought he would win, but he said he felt sad for his supporters who were excited for him.

“I had less votes than everybody,” said Pederson. “I’m proud that I ran and gave the people a choice.”

He offers one possible explanation for the outcome.

“Obviously the potheads didn’t come out to vote,” he said. “They were probably sitting at home with the munchies. That’s all I can say, because there’s lots of them out there.”

Pederson said he is contemplating running in the upcoming provincial by-election in Nanaimo, where MLA Leonard Krog was elected as mayor and is stepping down as MLA.

He said he would move to Nanaimo and bring the Pot Hall of Fame with him, but only if he wins.

“I’m not moving if I lose,” he said.

Rhodes and Harvey, who were chatting together over coffee Monday at Rhodes’ RnR Rentals, were both pleased with the outcome – for their own wins and for the council members they will be working with.

“I think this election was awesome,” said Rhodes, adding that he was personally humbled by his support. “That was a really good campaign and I think the voting results were good.”

Harvey said he expected to do well because he covered the town with door knocking, visiting every neighbourhood and knocking on an estimated 60 to 80 per cent of the doors.

As a relative newcomer to Osoyoos – he moved here full time in 2014 – the personal contact gave him a chance to become better known.

He also had a Main Street storefront campaign office that provided visibility, even if relatively few people stopped in.

King said he was pleased he believes he can work well with all the new members of council.

Bennett also said it will be a “good, strong council,” and he’s looking forward to working with the others who were elected.

He was hopeful of winning, but not overly confident.

“I thought that because of my experience and all the stuff I do in the community that would bring me over the top,” he said. “I was hoping that people would recognize that and obviously they did.”

The three female candidates responded differently to their defeats.

Long, who didn’t attend the all-candidates forum, but still did well, took comfort in the outcome.

“You can’t be upset with fifth (place),” she said. “And can’t be upset with top female. It’s my first run and you’ll see me again.”

McIntyre, who moved to Osoyoos at the beginning of 2017, said she was pleased with her result, especially as “a new face in Osoyoos.”

She said it’s quite possible she’ll run again in four years, but for now she’s planning to get involved in this community the way she has in others.

“I’m planning to join a few committees and take my passion for the community into that arena,” she said.

Theophilus said she was disappointed with the outcome.

“I had a feeling with three female candidates that a lot of people would not put more than one woman on the ballot,” she said. “I did suspect that this would happen.”

She said she ran because she wanted to represent a different demographic, not just on gender, but also lifestyle.

“That being said, I’m actually pleased with the four that were chosen,” she added. “I don’t know Brian (Harvey) that well, but I have followed the other three. I know that they have integrity and they’re good men, so I don’t have a problem with that.”

Theophilus said she’s already involved in the community with her work to establish a peer support group for young people and she plans to stay involved with this and other issues.

Kenny Music, the newest of the newcomers, only coming to Osoyoos this summer, said he was pleased with the outcome.

“I was of course a little disappointed that I didn’t get in, but I understand that I’m rather new to the area,” he said. “But I’m very happy with the folks that did get in.”

He said he voted for three of the winning councillors.

“Obviously I voted for myself, so I can’t say I voted for all four of them, but I was very pleased,” he added. “The only sad thing for me is that I just really would have liked to have worked with the folks that did make it in.”

Murseli, who finished last, said this was eighth election.

“It’s déjà vu 2014 election,” he said, suggesting that like the last one, this election wasn’t conducted fairly either in his view.

Murseli said he accepts that McKortoff was elected and he’s not questioning the school board elections, but he believes the councillor election didn’t represent the wishes of taxpayers. He makes an exception for Harvey, who he said was fairly elected.

Murseli blames the voting machines, which he says are programmed for the election by senior town staff.

“Nobody sees it and nobody confirms it,” he said. “They control the machines… That’s why I wanted a manual recount. If they didn’t have anything to hide, why wouldn’t they let us see the true ballot?”

Murseli has disputed results of previous elections also.

RICHARD McGUIRE

Osoyoos Times

Mayor Sue McKortoff shared the news of her electoral victory with her daughter in California. Her daughter’s thrilled reaction could be heard from McKortoff’s phone throughout the gym at the Sonora Community Centre. McKortoff beat her only opponent, Doug “Stone Dan” Pederson with 1,379 votes to Pederson’s 162. Pederson, who ran on a platform of promoting cannabis, attributed his low numbers to potheads not coming out to vote, but rather staying home with “the munchies.” (Richard McGuire photo)

The gym at the Sonora Community Centre was sometimes packed with voters, but when the Osoyoos Times showed up, it was quiet. Voter turnout was only 38.67 per cent, the lowest it’s been in more than a decade. Although turnout in the 2014 election was reported at the time to be only 34.75 per cent, this was because non-resident property electors were included in the calculations for that year only. When 2014 is calculated the same way as other years, turnout was actually 42.37 per cent, making this year the lowest. In 2011, turnout was 40 per cent, and in 2008 it was 46.51. (Richard McGuire photo)