FULL ELECTION RESULTS: Council, Islands Trust, School Board, Poll PAGE 3
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THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2022
POLIO PIGGIES
VOL. 48 NO. 39
BIUndercurrent
BowUndercurrent www.bowenislandundercurrent.com
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Andrew Leonard elected mayor, joined by 4/6 new councillors
NEW COUNCIL BEGINS NOVEMBER
ALEX KURIAL Editor
KEEPING TABS ON THE COUNT: Bowen’s mayor-elect Andrew Leonard watched along with some discerning constituents as ballot boxes were counted in the municipal election on Saturday night. When it was all said and done, Leonard found himself responsible for managing Bowen Island through the next four years from the mayor’s chair. To read more about how Leonard plans to do this, and why he thinks voters entrusted him with the task, check out our interview with Andrew on Pages 8-9. / Colin Bradley photo
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Change was on the menu in the 2022 Municipal Election on Bowen Island, as five of seven members of the 2022-26 council will be fresh faces to their roles. To a certain extent the shakeup was inevitable; only three of the previous seven members of local government were even running again. But in the most high profile race where the old versus new debate was playing out, voters resoundingly indicated they wanted to shake things up as newcomer Andrew Leonard’s 860 votes well outpaced the 728 gathered by incumbent councillor Maureen Nicholson. Fellow political rookie John Turner received 320 votes of his own. The result, declared shortly after 10 pm on Election Day, October 15, provided an answer to conversations which had played out well before campaign season had started: did Bowen Island wish to continue with the policies of the past eight years (the 2018-22 council had five incumbents from 2014-18), or did the island wish to take a sharp turn into the unknown, albeit with optimistic visions from the new candidates of what could be done. The clear choice (come the final council count as the clock passed 1:30 am Sunday) was the latter. CONTINUED ON PAGE 3