Voter support for Basran widespread, results show

Kelowna’s incumbent mayor won each polling station in civic election by comfortable margin

Mayor Colin Basran won every polling station in Kelowna with margins of victory that ranged from comfortable to overwhelming.

Basran drew the most votes at each of the 22 advance and general polls, winning an absolute majority at all but three of them.

Perhaps not surprisingly for the incumbent mayor, Basran’s level of support was strongest at the polls set up inside City Hall. At the City Hall voting stations, which were used by municipal employees as well as the public, Basran won 65 per cent of all ballots cast.

Across Kelowna, Basran won 57 per cent of all votes, compared to 30 per cent for businessman Tom Dyas, to earn a second four-year term of office.

Basran’s level of support was also particularly notable at polling stations set up at the Capital News Centre (64 per cent of all votes) and at UBC Okanagan (also 64 per cent).

Although he lives in the Lower Mission, Dyas launched his mayoral campaign from the heart of Rutland, at Roxby Square alongside Highway 33. At the Rutland polling stations, Dyas did somewhat better than in other areas of Kelowna.

For example, Dyas got 36 per cent of votes cast at Rutland Senior Secondary School compared to Basran’s 47 per cent.

And at the Hollywood Road Education Centre advance and general polls, Dyas won 34 per cent of all ballots while Basran drew 48 per cent.

There was a reversal from the 2014 election, when the only poll Basran lost was the mobile one taken around to the hospital and other care facilities. This time, he easily won the so-called “Special Voting” poll, with 60 per cent of all votes cast at KGH and nine residential care facilities compared to just 23 per cent of the votes for Dyas.

Skateboard shop owner Bobby Kennedy, who finished third in the race for mayor, drew eight per cent of votes citywide and about 11 per cent in Rutland.

Bob Schewe, a retired city bylaw officer, got five per cent of votes citywide.

All seven city councillors who sought re-election were returned to office, with most of them placing among the top eight finishers in each of the advance and general polls. Loyal Wooldridge was the sole newcomer elected to council.

Contenders Graeme James, Gord Lovegrove and Amarjit Singh Lalli cracked the top eight in a few polling stations, but all three finished well back of Wooldridge overall.

RON SEYMOUR/The Daily Courier Results of the Kelowna civic election were being confirmed Monday afternoon at City Hall in a process overseen by chief election officer Karen Needham, centre foreground. Candidates or their representatives could attend the meeting. The results are expected to be declared official today.