Bernie Perrot wins by-election for Tofield town councillor: Lesli Gillrie Solomon comes in a close second
Bernie Perrot excited and happy Tuesday evening after victory
All three candidates really wanted the job, but after the votes were tallied Bernie Perrot was newly elected to the position of Tofield town councillor in the Sept. 2 by-election.
Perrot garnered 123 votes compared to 112 for Lesli Gillrie Solomon and 54 for Larry Tiedemann. In all, 289 voters turned out to cast their ballots.
Before Returning Officer Cindy Neufeld made the announcement at the voting centre located in the Tofield Community Hall, Mayor Harold Conquest stated: “The town’s going to win no matter who wins the election.”
After Perrot was announced the winner, Conquest asked the councillor-elect to attend his office in the morning and she replied, with great enthusiasm: “I am available whenever I am needed.
“I can’t believe this, thank you very much,” she said, just after the announcement. “I’m thrilled, ecstatic. I worked very hard, Lesli did, too. I did a lot of door knocking.”
Although she had hoped based on the interest expressed in the by-election for higher numbers of people coming out to vote, the town’s Assistant CAO Jeff Edwards thought the numbers did in fact show that interest.
“I called it,” said Solomon, who had earlier said she thought Perrot would win. She and Tiedemann both congratulated Perrot, who works at the town library, on her victory.
In her victory speech, Perrot said: “I want to say thank you to everyone who voted for me, to my husband and family for their support and encouragement, to the first-time voters who came (I am very proud of them), and to Kaitlyn Monchak and Diane Danilak for their support and help with my campaign.
“I will do everything I can to live up to everyone’s expectations.”
