By Adam Frisk Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
After 10 days of completing ballots by phone and internet, residents of Highlands East voted in a new leadership for the next four years, ending an election cycle that was marked by a crowded mayoral race and a shift in ward representation.
Dave Burton was re-elected with 842 votes in the five-way race for the mayor’s chair, beating out candidates Steven Kauffeldt (786 votes), Krystle Anne Pegg (577 votes), Mike Killingsworth (467 votes) and Cheryl Ellis (208 votes).
Burton ran a campaign focused on balanced budgets, infrastructure, and municipal identity. Speaking to The Highlander the day after his election win, the mayor noted the mix of feedback surrounding the municipality’s remote voting system.
“I was happy with the online voting and the telephone voting, and it does give the seasonal people a chance to vote without having to necessarily drive up,” he said. “But some of our local people weren’t too happy with it. I still have people that like to walk in and put their ballot in a box.”
When asked how he plans to bring a council that is composed of both new and returning faces together, Burton said he wants to establish an early alignment before council business gets underway.
“We’ll have an orientation session. We’ll sit out and get everybody’s views and what they want or expect in the next four years, and we’ll just get together and try to harness that and move forward,” he explained.
