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Esquimalt: Barb Desjardins cruises to re-election as mayor

Esquimalt Mayor Barbara Dejardins sailed to a decisive win, entering her third term in the top job with a whopping 73 per cent of the vote.
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Barb Desjardins talks to some of her constituents on her way to re-election as Esquimalt mayor on Saturday.

Esquimalt Mayor Barbara Dejardins sailed to a decisive win, entering her third term in the top job with a whopping 73 per cent of the vote.

Her success and that of other council members sends a clear message to the Capital Regional District that Esquimalt is a tough, independent municipality not interested in a sewage treatment plant on its waterfront.

As for councillors, three are incumbents and three are newcomers.

Dejardins said citizens did not want a major change on council at this point. “There are too many big issues out there.”

Sewage treatment remains a top issue for voters. Desjardins has been the face of Esquimalt as it battled to keep a new treatment plant from being built at McLoughlin Point.

“They [voters] want somebody who has been there, done that,” Dejardins said.

Getting economic development rolling is the other major issue for citizens, she said. “The community is 100 per cent behind going forward.”

Supporter Kade Hardy canvassed for Dejardins, saying, “For me, I think she really listens to her community.”

Dejardins fought off former Victoria deputy police chief John Ducker, who wanted to see the development process streamlined and safer streets and roads. He said Saturday evening that he has no plans to run again.

Of the 4,363 votes cast, Dejardins took 3,180, Ducker 962, Scott Attrill 196, and David Shebib 25. The total number of eligible voters is about 14,500.

Interest in the election was high as voter turnout this year jumped to 30 per cent from 18 per cent in 2011.

New to council is Susan Low, 38, a former provincial Green Party candidate, who topped the polls with 2,749 votes. Low is also an ardent opponent to sewage treatment at McLoughlin Point and is eager to see commercial and industrial revitalization.

Also elected to council for the first time is Beth Burton-Krahn, a founding director of the Sewage Treatment Action Group, which favours a decentralized wastewater system. Olga Liberchuk is another newcomer. She advocated looking to tourism to make better use of existing community assets.

Returning to council are Tim Morrison, who was second among councillors with 2,550 votes, Meagan Brame, and Lynda Hundleby, who credits a balanced approach as a key factor among her supporters.

cjwilson@timescolonist.com