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Jim Wood back as Red Deer County mayor

Two incumbents lose their seats on council
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Jim Wood is back again as Red Deer County mayor. (Black Press file photo)

Red Deer County Mayor Jim Wood has been elected for another term after beating out two challengers.

Wood defeated former councillor Stan Bell and Ty Northcott. Wood had 2,623 votes, Bell,1,751 and Northcott 1,603.

There were challenges in all but one division. In Division 4 Connie Huelsman ran unopposed.

In Division 1, incumbent Philip Massier with 551 votes defeated Chad Young with 452. In Division 2, challenger Lonny Kennett with 492 votes narrowly defeated incumbent Jean Bota, who had 490 votes.

In Division 3 Dana Depalme with 500 votes defeated challengers Adrian Pidherney with 377 votes and Clayton Marshall with 184. In Division 5 incumbent Richard Lorenz with 566 votes lost to Brent Ramsay with 590 and in Division 6 incumbent Christine Moore with 482 votes defeated Garett Cupples with 408 votes.

Massier said one of the first jobs for county council will be to continue building a strong relationship with the City of Red Deer. With a new mayor and new councillors at the city, it may be worth revisiting some of the issues that have been on the table in recent years, he added.

Massier also believes it is time to take a more regional approach to issues such as charting a path forward for the Red Deer Regional Airport, Westerner Park and Junction 42 Partnership.

“United we stand, divided we fall,” said Massier, who was acclaimed in his previous two elections.

In Lacombe County, all four incumbents were acclaimed; John Ireland (Division 1), Brenda Knight (Division 2), Barb Shepherd (Division 3) and Dana Kreil (Division 7).

Three divisions were to get new councillors after former Reeve Paula Law (Division 4), Keith Stephenson (Division 6) and Ken Wigmore (Division 5) chose not to run again.

In Division 4, Dawyne West with 224 votes beat Ivor Bernatsky with 211 votes in a close race. In Division 5, Kenneth Weenink with 295 votes defeated Ken White (147) and Denise Sumner (78).

In Division 6, Allan Wilson with 329 votes defeated Gunnar Albrecht (88) and Philip Arthur Randall (21).



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