Voter turnout may have increased this election, but it wasn’t enough for Burnaby First to secure a single seat on council.
BFC mayoral candidate Daren Hancott only managed to secure 21.7 per cent of the vote as Mayor Derek Corrigan retained his council seat, along with the rest of the Burnaby Citizens Association’s candidates.
“On two fronts, I think we won something,” said Hancott, despite the BFC’s loss. “The democratic deficit got narrowed – I think the voter turnout was pretty good and I think that galvanized a bunch of new voters. And I’m pleased at the showing of some of our candidates.”
The tone at the Odd Fellow’s hall was anxious as the results started rolling in after 8 p.m., but died down as the number of polls dwindled.
Of the BFC’s candidates, Helen Ward was closest to getting a seat, falling short by 4,810 votes. Corrigan and all seven incumbent councillors retained their seats, while BCA school trustee James Wang made the jump to Burnaby council.
While gracious in defeat, Hancott admitted he was disappointed that council still has no opposition. However, noting the coalition had about $25,000 in funds, he said they proved they could do more with less, given the BFC’s number of votes.
“It was tough because we had to develop our policies, we had to start from scratch,” he said. “And because we have diversity and many different viewpoints, everything took a lot longer.
“(But) it was true democracy at work.”
