Robertson re-elected for third term as mayor

There is only one new face on Okotoks town council following the municipal election.

Bill Robertson will return as mayor of Okotoks for the next four years, and incumbents Tanya Thorn, Ed Sands, Matt Rockley, Ray Watrin and Ken Heemeryck will return to their seats on council. Florence Christophers will replace Carrie Fischer on council after Fischer lost the mayoral race by 585 votes.

A total of 5,672 ballots were cast, reflecting a turnout of about 30 per cent of eligible voters.

Robertson said he's proud for the opportunity to lead Okotoks for another term. It will be his third term as mayor, and eighth term overall.

“It's phenomenal,” he said. “It's very humbling once again.”

He said there were a few conversations and moments during his campaign that showed him the impact of the mayor's position on residents in town.

“Some of the things I do for people are kind of a minor thing for me, but it's a really big deal for them,” said Robertson. “It's a real privilege and an honour to serve as the mayor of Okotoks. It really is.”

Having won by just under 600 votes, Robertson said he campaigned as though he was in second place the entire month. On election night he was handing out brochures and parking his car at the recreation centre with signs taped to its windows, he said.

“The last thing you want to do is perhaps be unsuccessful and say, “If I'd only done something else,'” said Robertson.

Coun. Ed Sands is entering into his eighth term on town council. He said he's pleased to have earned another four years on council.

“When I complete this term I'll have completed a life sentence without parole,” Sands joked. “But I'm very happy. I'm very happy to have gotten this.”

He said the campaign was eye-opening for a few reasons. Sands engaged in social media more during the past month than he had in the past term, and said it was often nothing short of cyber-bullying.

However, he said some of the more negative comments could be the reason he was elected with the second-highest number of votes.

“To a certain extent I would like to say thank you to the negative posts on Facebook,” said Sands. “I took nothing for granted, I worked harder and harder, because of the negative feedback, like “You old guys gotta go.' That just spurs you on.”

Despite the struggle online, Sands said he's humbled to be returning to council with such a strong showing, at 2,787 votes.

He said he considers Okotoks to be the greatest place in the world and he looks forward to working hard to serve the residents for another term.

The main priority will be getting a water pipeline without the costs falling on Okotoks citizens, he said.

“If we've got to buy a couple more licences while this happens, don't be frustrated,” said Sands. “You can still flush your toilet. We're not running out of water for you and me, we're running out of extra water for new development, and we've still got lots of that.”

Coun. Tanya Thorn took home the most votes for councillor, receiving more than 50 per cent of the total votes cast.

“I consider that a huge endorsement from the community for what I'm doing, what I've been doing, and where I want to go,” said Thorn.

She said water is definitely on the agenda in the near future, and developing a strategy for acquiring the pipeline tops the to-do list.

It will be helpful to have familiar faces at the table as council works toward the water line, she said.

“It's nice to see most of our incumbents back because there's not a whole lot of education,” said Thorn. “Florence has got some experience, she knows how it works, so hopefully we'll be able to hit the ground running.”

She said she's excited for the next four years and is ready to tackle the “great things coming” for the Town of Okotoks.

It was a more disappointing evening for three-time council candidate Nicole Watkins, who said she likely won't be on the ballot again in 2021.

“I don't think I was over-confident, but I do think I ran a more active campaign,” said Watkins. “I was a lot more involved, I got to a lot more doors, I thought on social media that I was making an impact, that people were seeing the real passion I have for the town.”

She said she's still passionate about Okotoks and would like to still be involved in different ways, like sitting on committees.

The election results were a little surprising after a tough campaign, she said.

“We had a lot of people who were presenting a great challenge and some really amazing candidates who came forward,” said Watkins. “I was surprised to see how some of them got lower votes, who I thought would have performed much better in the polls. But I guess you never know.”