Eight candidates are vying for one seat on North Saanich council, following the resignation of councillor Joscelyn Barnard a few weeks after the municipal election.
All six councillors were elected by acclamation in the Oct. 21 municipal election. Barnard and Brett Smyth were acclaimed as newcomers. Four incumbents — Heather Gartshore, Jack McClintock, Celia Stock and Murray Weisenberger — were also acclaimed.
Geoff Orr won the mayoral race, beating Dorothy Hartshorne 2,592 votes to 1,415 after Mayor Alice Finall stepped down after three consecutive terms.
Now Hartshorne is seeking a return to council in the municipality’s April 6 byelection.
Hartshorne previously served two terms on North Saanich council from 1999 to 2005. She also sought the mayoralty in 2014 but finished a close second to then-incumbent Alice Finall.
The other candidates are Rosemary (Romi) Bongers, Del Elgersma, Arturo Huerta, Tiffany Joseph, Scott McEachern, Cam McLennan and Patricia Pearson.
North Saanich residents can vote in an advance poll March 27 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the municipal hall and on April 3 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
For more information, go to northsaanich.ca/elections.
