One incumbent and a former councillor came short of their goal as election results wrapped up on Monday.
Incumbent Gail Parks missed a seat on council as she landed in ninth spot with 5,902 votes.
Parks, a well-experienced councillor serving two terms in Red Deer and many years in Ontario, could not be reached for comment following the election.
Councillor Buck Buchanan said he was sorry to see Parks go.
“I think Gail was doing a good job. She worked hard and I think overall the last council worked fairly well together,” he said.
Former councillor Jeffrey Dawson also tried to make a comeback but missed his mark. He was also not immediately available for comment Tuesday.
Dawson landed in a distant 12th spot with 4,202 votes. He served on City council for 12 years before vying for the mayor’s chair in the 2007 election. He lost to Flewwelling in that election by more than 2,000 votes.
In addition, Flewwelling said all three new councillors – Chris Stephan, Paul Harris and Dianne Wyntjes – will be strong members of the team.
“I know we have a strong council,” said Flewwelling. “We had a really strong council last term – they were a powerhouse. But I feel like we’re going into this new council from strength to strength. The new councillors are people to be reckoned with. We may not always agree but that is not what being on a municipal council is all about.”
Stephan said he is looking forward to starting his three-year term on council.
“It’ll be a lot of work and I’m looking forward to that,” he said. “Probably the best thing will be meeting a lot of residents and seeing all the ins and outs of Red Deer. I want to try and take in and learn as much as I can.
“I’m really looking forward to the next three years. I think it’ll be fantastic.”
Meanwhile, the City’s school boards also welcomed some new faces.
Elected to the City’s Catholic School board includes Adriana LaGrange, Guy Pelletier, Elaine Halter, Anne Marie Watson and David Bouchard.
Former chair of the board Christine Moore and former trustee Duane Rolheiser were both edged out.
Elected to the City’s Public School board includes Bill Stuebing, Bev Manning, Dianne Macaulay, Lawrence Lee, Bill Christie, Dick Lemke and Cathy Peacocke.
Election results will be made official later this week.
efawcett@reddeerexpress.com
