Ted Schaffer didn’t have to wait long to learn his fate.
Roughly 15 minutes after the polls closed, Schaffer, his family and supporters were celebrating at a small Cascades Convention Centre meeting room where they had gathered to await results.
The acting mayor of the City of Langley defeated his nearest opponent by more than 2,000 votes.
Results show Schaffer with 2,781 votes. Randy Caine placed second, with 767 votes and Ray Lewis earned 558 votes.
“It’s a big relief,” Schaffer said following his victory.
“I’m just going to work very, very hard for this community.”
Schaffer invited the unsuccessful candidates to “maybe put their names on a few [municipal] committees.”
He was named acting mayor after the city council decided against holding a byelection to replace then-incumbent mayor Peter Fassbender, after he won a seat as a Liberal MLA in Surrey in the May, 2013 provincial election.
All three incumbent City of Langley councillors who ran for re-election — Dave Hall (2,172), Gayle Martin (1,851) and Jack Arnold (1,599) — held onto their seats.
New councillors are Val van den Broek, with 1,864 votes and Paul Albrecht (1,738).
Former Langley City councillor Rudy Storteboom, who lost his seat to Schaffer in 2011, was returned with 1,856 votes.
Van den Broek said it is still sinking in that she is now a City councillor. The former Langley City community police office employee had the second highest vote total, just below Hall.
“Gayle, Rudy and I spent a lot of hours standing outside the Save-On and the No Frills, talking with people and I think some people know me from working at the City Community Police Office for eight years,” she said.
She can’t wait to get started, and she has many ideas.
“There is a huge disconnect between citizens and city hall. I saw that as a resident and as someone working in the City.
And I heard it loud and clear from residents. We need to be more accessible and more input is needed from citizens.
“Decisions can no longer be made behind closed doors,” she said.
“The more involved and engaged citizens feel, the less voter apathy we will see.”
She wants to create a seniors’ committee.
“Seniors are a huge part of our community and they feel the most disconnected,” she said.
Van den Broek is also thinking of creating a website where citizens can post suggestions on how to improve the City and let her know of concerns.
She campaigned on cleaning up crime and working to address mental health issues in the City. But she recognizes that will take working with all municipalities and the province.
Van den Broek was a bit disappointed that only two women are on council, but she thinks the new council will be good.
“There is good diversity on council,” she said.
Not elected to council were: Nathan Pachal 1,528
Sharon Newbery 1,493
Miriam Marshall 1,463
Carla Robin 1,403
Christine MacIntosh 1,164
Ron Abgrall 590.
— with files from Dan Ferguson