For many Puslinch residents, the overall result in the township’s mayoral race was not that surprising – but Dennis Lever’s margin of victory sure was.
Lever himself said he was shocked to receive 1,345 votes (57%) – more than double his opponents Dick Visser (566) and incumbent Brad Whitcombe (441).
“I can’t think of anyone who could have predicted that,” he said on Tuesday.
“The feedback I received while going door to door was positive, but … you never know if that is representative of the entire population. I guess it was.”
The biggest concerns he heard from constituents while campaigning were rising taxes and that the current council seems “out of touch.” So, as mayor, those are two issues he hopes to address from the start. He noted the Highway 6 bypass around Morriston and the “big lake” proposal are two other issues he hopes to tackle this term.
Visser, a current councillor, could not hide his surprise with Lever’s large margin of victory.
“I thought it would be closer,” he admitted. “I guess I didn’t realize the voter anger out there.” He said tax increases are clearly the biggest issue, though he noted most of the new faces on council are inexperienced.
“But the voters have spoken and the voters aren’t wrong,” he added.
When asked what he thought of the successful group elected on Monday, Whitcombe initially replied, “Yikes.” But he also said he was not really surprised by the results and he is hopeful the new council can carry on the good work he has had the fortune to be a part of over the last two decades on Puslinch council.
“Challenges remain and the community is filled with life and filled with promise,” he said.
Whitcombe acknowledged it was perhaps “time for change,” but added he hopes there is not too much of it.
“There’s some good people I’m going to miss,” he said, adding he hopes the new council remains respectful of staff members.
New council
Come December, there will be just one carry over from the current council: Susan Fielding, who received 1,121 votes.
She was bested by newcomers Ken Roth (1,449) and Wayne Stokley (1,367), while newcomer Jerry Schmidt claimed the last spot on council with 1,103 votes.
Incumbent Matthew Bulmer lost by just 27 votes, having received 1,076, while Manfred Ganning (790) and Dave Billings (666) rounded out the race.
They didn’t agree on much during the campaign, but all three mayoral candidates were shocked that Bulmer, respected by many as an integral part of Puslinch council, was not re-elected.
Visser said given the amount of work Bulmer has done for the township, he was “flabbergasted” Bulmer is not joining fellow incumbent Fielding on the new council.
Lever added, “I was too.” He said a lot of people he talked to during the campaign voiced support for Bulmer, so he’s not sure why the polls did not reflect that.
Whitcombe said Bulmer’s absence will be palpable at council, because he has so much to offer.
“I’m very sad for the community because he’s such a wonderful man,” Whitcombe said. “I celebrate my association with Matthew; I learned a lot from him.”
While he’ll be missed, Whitcombe said he’s sure Bulmer will serve the community in another capacity.
