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Historic vote ushers in change

No incumbents on new team, led by first female mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden
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It wasn't just lip service to get elected: Mayor-elect Nancy Wilhelm-Morden said she plans to scrap pay parking in the day lots by Christmas.

As per her election platform, Wilhelm-Morden wants to do away with parking in Lots 2-5, with pay parking in Lot 1 only for the premium spots closest to the base of the mountains.

"I would like to have something in place before Christmas," she said, speaking from her law office Monday morning.

She knows she needs the support of her new team to do that - she is just one vote at the council table after all - but she's forging ahead with one of her key election promises.

"That's my focus and I've spoken with some of the members of my team about whether they will support me with that."

When asked if it seemed like she had support for the million-dollar decision she said: "I think so."

She certainly has support in the community.

In a landslide victory Saturday night, Wilhelm-Morden secured the mayor's seat with more than 2,600 votes, roughly 2,000 more than incumbent Ken Melamed. She is joined at the table by six brand new councillors, a history-making vote that wiped the council table clean of any incumbents.

"This is the first time an entire incumbent council has been replaced, the first time in Whistler's history," said Wilhelm-Morden. "So again, it's a huge message of Whistler wanting change."

It was an agonizing wait Saturday night for the council contenders.

Standing out in a dark silver dress at the Cinnamon Bear, Wilhelm-Morden stayed busy talking to supporters in the room, glancing down at her phone for any news.

The results came in later than expected at around 10:15 p.m. Wilhelm-Morden realized without a doubt that the community had spoken loudly and clearly, choosing her to be its leader for change.

"It's scary," she said minutes after the news, her daughters Sarah and Jessie never very far from her side and husband Ted close by as well. "The expectations are going to be so high."

After a day of reflection spent watching football on TV and taking phone calls from her friends and family, Wilhelm-Morden was already hard at work on the job ahead. In addition to pay parking, she's going to immediately have the mayor's salary reduced by $10,000 to $77,000 and hopes to instruct staff to begin preparing the bylaws to deal with the illegal non-conforming space issue in Whistler. She wants that on her desk by March 1.

"The fact that so many people have confidence in me, like I said on Saturday night, it's overwhelming. But it's also such a vote of confidence. I really can move forward into the next three years, wanting to get things done, knowing that the community is behind me."

 

The new team


The new mayor, who will be sworn into office with her team on December 6, wasn't the only one to describe that mantle of duty placed on them by the voters.

Jayson Faulkner (1,362 votes) said he felt the weight of responsibility passing onto his shoulders when he learned he had secured a council seat.

He was at Uli's Flipside at what he called "neutral ground" with several other council contenders.

"It's palpable how you feel a sense of responsibility immediately after you find out you're elected," he said.

Particularly, he said, after the slate has been wiped of incumbents.

"When the electorate wants change, their expectations are fairly high," said Faulkner.

He's not worried this council, several of whom he knows personally, will be able to deliver.

They bring a breadth of experience from a cross section of the community, he said.

He has a deep history in the retail business in Whistler to bring to the table; Duane Jackson in real estate; Roger McCarthy has deep roots in resort business; John Grills in the food and beverage industry; Andre Janyk heavily involved in the schools and sports; and Jack Crompton an entrepreneur with a young family.

When asked if the vote shows a strong push from the community for a "business-minded" council, Jackson (14,28 votes) said not necessarily.

"You've got educated and experienced people," he said. "Just because they happen to be in business, or have been in business, or have been successful one way or another in their career in Whistler, I think it just brings a little more discipline, brings a little more experience to the discussion... I wouldn't necessarily tie it to business. It certainly will culturally help the "Hall" understand business better and understand what our challenges are."

Several of the winning team campaigned together over the past two months, going to various functions in private homes.

John Grills, who secured the sixth seat on council with 1,041 votes, said that teamwork would help moving forward.

"We found early on that we could work together," he said. "We had similar goals for Whistler and history that we could all bring something to the table."

Andrée Janyk (1,398 votes) was at home waiting for the results with her husband and a close friend. She said she feels honoured to be picked out of the biggest council field in Whistler's history.

"This was a tough election with 25 other people and there were a lot of good candidates," she said.

She was surprised that not one incumbent was voted back in, particularly as the previous council was clearly divided on so many issues.

She said sometimes a group can all get painted with the same brush.

"For me personally, having been on school board and recognizing the value of having some incumbents with you, I think I was quite open in saying we need to consider some incumbents.

"I think it would have been nice to have their voice at the table. But in the same breath, I think people were clearly frustrated and wanted a whole new fresh start with the new CAO (Mike Furey who was hired in September). And I don't think it was out of disrespect to some of the incumbents."

From top vote getter Roger McCarthy's point of view, the clean sweep is perhaps a sign of the times and a reflection that Whistler isn't immune to the global downturn in the economy, and is perhaps more sensitive to it than other places.

"I think anybody that's in the tourism business is concerned about (the future)," said McCarthy. "There's nothing guaranteed."

McCarthy was with Jackson, whom he campaigned with closely, when he got the news that he won the most support in the community. He's still in shock about that.

"I'm humbled by it to tell you the truth," he said.

He kept checking the computer screen to see if it was really true that he got 1,933 votes; after all, he's been out of town for almost 20 years, from 1991 to just before the Olympics in 2010. In the meantime, he has worked in senior positions at Intrawest and various other ski resorts.

In that capacity, he's been on the other side of the council table, representing the resort side, negotiating agreements and getting approval for development. Being a councillor, something he never really imagined himself doing, will provide a new perspective.

"The town is a big piece of the puzzle," he said. "It's a very big piece of the puzzle. If the town gets it, then it's so much easier."

Jack Crompton, who captured 1,665 votes for the second spot on council, is now ready to get to work with the rest of the new team after his celebration at the South Side Diner on Saturday.

"What I got from the mandate is the people are really behind those they elected, engaged and ready to get to work themselves," he said.

"It's not just seven people, for sure."

 

A nod to council past

 

As seven new people are ushered into the job, seven more are leaving, some with heavy hearts.

As confetti rained down from the ceiling at the Brewhouse, where Mayor Ken Melamed set up camp Saturday night, he told supporters gathered, "We ran a hard fight, we ran a good fight, we kept it clean, we kept it honest, and I've never had a better group of friends around.

"So thank you very much, I am celebrating my freedom!"

Melamed won 610 votes. The vote marks the first time the community has not elected him to a position on council in 15 years. He was a three-term councillor before taking on the mayor's role for two terms and shepherding Whistler on its Olympic journey.

Jayson Faulkner walked over from Uli's to the Brewhouse to shake hands with his longtime friend before heading out to shake hands with the Mayor-Elect on election night.

"I felt badly for him," said Faulkner of Melamed's loss. "Because I know how deeply he cares about the community and how important the contributions that he's made in his political life here have been. And I think through the rearview mirror over time, I think those contributions became more apparent."

It was an emotional affair at Ralph Forsyth's event at the Nita Lake Lodge. Surrounded by 25 friends and family members, Forsyth said his passion for politics was not dimmed by the loss.

"You haven't seen Ralph Forsyth's name on the last ballot," he said after learning of the loss.

"I was talking to (wife) Stephanie tonight and we were saying that it's been nine years since I first ran for council... and I failed and it was humiliating. But I campaigned hard and three years later I won, then I won again... And I was no longer satisfied...I didn't like the direction the town was going in."

Forsyth secured 498 votes.

On Monday morning Wilhelm-Morden said she had yet to hear from either Melamed or Forsyth. That could be a reflection of the hard-fought campaign, she said.

"It seemed very personal for both of them," she said.

 

Back to business

 

The new council members were all keen this week to revisit the Mayor-elect's top priority in the coming weeks - the much-debated pay parking issue.

What that looks like yet, and whether it can be implemented before Christmas remains to be seen.

"I look forward to the conversation," said Crompton, when asked where he stands on the pay parking issue. "I haven't made up my mind yet."

There's still more research he needs to do, he said.

McCarthy added: "We're going to meet and come up with a decision and get it changed as fast as we can."

Going back to free parking in Lots 2 to 5 is of course the easy part of the decision - the financial ramifications of the decision are the things this council will have to wrestle with in the coming months.

"As far as the 2011 budget is concerned, the ramifications of that will be minimal because it will only be 10 or 11 days of lost income for the remainder of this calendar year," said Wilhelm-Morden. "As far as the impact for 2012, as we get into the zero based budgeting process and the budgeting cycle for 2012, that's when we will be dealing with that."

She's planning to meet CAO Mike Furey in the coming days and will ask him to provide a one page précis on each of the outstanding items for council, much like he would have done in his former role in Victoria as an Assistant Deputy Minister whenever there was a change in minister portfolios.

"Just so that we all know what issues are outstanding currently, where they're at in the process," she said. "That then will give myself and all of the councillors a head's up as to what we're looking at. I don't think it's going to take this team very long to get up to speed. Every single member of the team is a very bright, engaged and informed person."