Serving Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Anmore and Belcarra since 1984
FRIDAY
November 18, 2011
Celebrating 20 years of Outstanding Service to our Community
28
Find a safe ride home with Operation Red Nose.
Your source for local news, sports, opinion and entertainment: www.thenownews.com
Head to the polls, then visit our website The NOW will provide live coverage of election results after voting ends at 8 p.m. on Saturday
T
he campaigns have run their course. It’s up to voters now. When a new mayor is elected in Port Moody on Saturday, it will mark the end of an era, as residents look to someone other than Joe Trasolini to head up their city. Trasolini, who decided against running for the top job this time around, has been in power for four terms. Three people are hoping to replace him: current councillor Mike Clay and rivals Robert Simons and Katie Kickbush. There will also be changes on council, with Meghan Lahti and Karen Rockwell opting not to run again. In total, 20 candidates will compete for a seat on Port Moody council. Only the school trustee candidates have it easy, as there are two running and just two spots to fill.
In Port Coquitlam, William Issa and Patrick Alambets are challenging incumbent Greg Moore for the mayor’s chair. All six council incumbents are hoping to win re-election, while 12 challengers will try to unseat them. Three candidates, meanwhile, will compete for two school trustee spots. In Coquitlam, current councillor Barrie Lynch is competing against incumbent Richard Stewart for the mayor’s chair. A flock of council hopefuls — 16 in all — will compete for eight seats. Half of them are incumbents. Five school trustee hopefuls have a good shot of filling a seat in Coquitlam, since four spots are waiting for them. Anmore is also facing a mayoral race, as Heather Anderson seeks re-election while Mario Piamonte challenges her. There may be
changes on village council as well, with seven candidates seeking four seats. The deciding factor in all of these races could come down to voter turnout, which is traditionally at its lowest in civic races. That’s ironic, since it’s mayors, city councillors and school trustees that affect the lives of residents the most. It’s true that federal and provincial races grab more headlines and seem more exciting — how can zoning and garbage collection, for example, compete with health care, education and foreign policy? But when it comes down to which level of government most closely affects the lives of voters, municipal wins every time. The amount on your property tax bill, the decision about whether or not to allow offleash dogs in your local park, the frequency of garbage pickup and availability of recycling
services — these are all decided by politicians at the civic level. You may not know what Ottawa or Victoria is doing, but you’ll know when a new development is built in your neighbourhood or a speed bump is put in on your street. With that in mind, The NOW will be staffing its newsroom on Saturday night to bring Tri-Cities residents the latest in local election news. When polls close at 8 p.m., visit our website (www.thenownews.com) for up-to-the-minute results and analysis. We’ll keep working until all of the major results are in, so you’ll know that night who will be representing you for the next three years. We’ll also be Tweeting all of the latest news at @coquitlamnow, @jennifermcfee, @johnkurucz and @leneenrobb.
Advance poll numbers out John Kurucz jkurucz@thenownews.com Advance voting numbers appear to be on the rise in some pockets of the Tri-Cities, though whether or not that interest translates into final voting day numbers remains difficult to predict. Port Moody’s two-day advance totals check in at 452 ballots cast: 189 voters made it out to the polls on Nov. 9, while 263 did so on Nov. 12. In 2008, 310 Port Moody residents voted in the advanced polls. “I wouldn’t be able to speculate if the higher [advanced] turnout means anything. One can only hope,” said Colleen Rohde, Port Moody’s chief electoral officer. In Port Coquitlam, 696 ballots were checked off in the two days’ worth of advanced polls, with 479 ballots cast on Nov. 16 and 217 on Nov. 9. Those numbers compared to the 902 ballots filled out in the 2008 election. “I wouldn’t say there are trends,” said PoCo’s chief electoral officer Susan Rauh. “The majority of the time you do see a higher turnout, but just as many times, you won’t. It’s not always an indication of what you’ll see on voting day.” Coquitlam’s advanced polling numbers weren’t complete by NOW deadline, as one more day’s worth of advance voting was set for today (Friday, Nov. 18). The three previous advance polling days saw 1,365 ballots cast: 583 on Nov. 9, 449 on Nov. 12 and 333 on Nov. 16. Coquitlam’s advanced voting numbers in 2008 checked in at 1,703.
Paul vanPeenen/NOW
Voters braved the rain Wednesday to attend advance polls at the Elks Hall in Port Coquitlam, as well as Pinetree Community Centre in Coquitlam. Chief electoral officers say it’s too early to tell whether turnout will be higher or lower than last year.
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • 4 LATE NIGHTS Celebrating our 20th Anniversary
™Trademark of Air Miles International Trading B.V. used under license by LoyaltyOne Inc. And Solynx Marketing Inc.
Upon completion of any of our services between Nov 19th & 30th you will receive a complimentary travel haircare product (Valued $9.95)
#103 - 3003 St. John’s St. Port Moody
604-461-4247
www.angelossalonandspa.com Not valid with any other promotion.Limit one coupon per customer. per visit. Min.$50 purchase before coupon. Expires Nov 30,2011