After 12 Years, Osoyoos has a New Mayor

Small-town elections are different. There are no pollsters. No pundits. No reliable way to know what voters are thinking until the ballots are counted.

In Osoyoos, 12 years of political continuity came to an end Saturday night. Dustin Sikora will be the town’s new mayor, winning 953 of the 2,378 votes cast, or about 40 per cent.

Zachary Poturica, the incumbent councillor, finished second with 514 votes. Scott Armstrong had 302, followed by Jim Dinwoodie with 243, Hart Buckendahl with 211 and Tom Shields with 155.

It was Sikora’s second shot at the mayor’s chair. Four years ago, he lost after arriving in town less than a year before the election. Since then, he had four years to build a base. This time, that work paid off.

For much of the campaign, Osoyoos seemed divided into two camps: those backing Sikora and those who weren’t. But the numbers tell another part of the story. The five other candidates combined for roughly 60 per cent of the vote, splitting the opposition five ways. With no single challenger able to consolidate that vote, Sikora came through the middle and won.

The council results brought three new faces and one returning councillor.

Frank Zandvliet topped the poll with 1,504 votes, followed by Johnny Cheong with 1,422, Pat Wycherley with 1,319 and J.F. Launier with 1,177. Derek Hesketh finished fifth, 115 votes behind Launier.

By the end of the night, the campaign had turned into a celebration.

About 150 people gathered at the Osoyoos Golf Club for Sikora’s victory party. Launier, Zandvliet and Wycherley joined the celebration, while country star Chad Brownlee took the stage.

After weeks of speculation, Osoyoos finally had its answer. And after 12 years, it has a new mayor.