Not only will there be a new mayor in Olds, there will also be some new councillors, according to unofficial results.
Two incumbent councillors: Harvey Walsh and Rudy Durieux were not re-elected during Monday night's civic election in Olds.
There are only six councillor seats. Walsh, who has served six terms on town council, finished in seventh place with 745 votes. New councillor Heather Ryan, who has served on the Municipal Planning Commission for three years, took the sixth and last place with 757.
According to the unofficial results issued Monday, Mary Anne Overwater, who is now heading into her second term on council, led the polls with 995 votes.
Official results are expected this Friday, Oct. 20.
Following, unofficially, is the order in which all other candidates finished.
New councillor Wanda Blatz finished second with 978. Incumbent Wade Bearchell won a third term with 963. Mary Jane Harper placed fourth and will serve a fourth term. Debbie Bennett placed fifth with 866 and will serve a third term.
As was noted earlier, Ryan placed sixth.
In addition to Walsh, other council candidates who did not make it on to council are incumbent Rudy Durieux (727 votes) who served one term, as well as hopefuls Keith Bishop (725), Gordon Bueckert (499), Ron Stade (393), David Terry (310) and Matthew Cadrain (199).
As was reported by the Albertan earlier, Michael Muzychka became mayor by acclamation when Judy Dahl, who had served the town for 27 years, 13 as mayor, withdrew from the race.
Overwater was happy not only to have been re-elected, but to have unofficially topped the polls.
"I'm pleased that the citizens have put their faith in me and I can serve for another four years," she said during an interview with the Albertan.
Overwater had some theories as to why she did so well.
"I always speak my mind," she said. "I don't make promises that I can't keep."
Overwater has served as chair of the Mountain View Regional Waste Management Commission. She was asked if that provided her a relatively high profile and helped her get votes.
"Well, I think sometimes if your name is in the paper, people tend to think about you more often if your name is in the paper, however many times," she said.
"I don't go out of my way to have my name in the paper, but you know, like I said, I do speak my mind and I try and do the best that I can for our citizens and I hope for the next four years I can prove my worthiness to them and we can go from there."
Blatz was surprised ñ but pleased ñ to do so well.
"I had kind of joked earlier today that I had hoped to squeak in and be elected, but this is quite an honour," she said. I'm very overwhelmed and humbled by the support that the community's shown me."
Blatz, a retired banker and currently a bookkeeper, figures people know her from those jobs plus from her time sitting on many local boards and committees.
"I think people just recognized who I am," she said, adding she believes she's gained a reputation as a person who gets things done.
"I have the time to do it now and I believe and I know that I can be an asset to the town," Blatz said.
Blatz paid tribute to all those ñ successful and unsuccessful -- who ran for council.
"I recognize that all of the people who ran, and all of the incumbents and all of the new people who ran probably were ñ and are -- as qualified as I am and definitely I admire and respect them for letting their names stand too," she said.
A total of 1,704 out of the 7,270 eligible voters in town cast ballots, according to returning officer Bill Johnston.
"I had kind of joked earlier today that I had hoped to squeak in and be elected, but this is quite an honour. I'm very overwhelmed and humbled by the support that the community's shown me."WANDA BLATZNEWLY ELECTED COUNCILLOR
