Bill Martin defeats Basil Stewart in Summerside
29-year veteran mayor of Summerside, P.E.I., goes down to defeat
Basil Stewart's long reign as mayor of Summerside ended in election defeat Monday.
Challenger Bill Martin, a local businessman, enjoyed a strong lead throughout the night, taking about two-thirds of the votes.
Preliminary results from Elections P.E.I. were:
- Martin: 4,614.
- Stewart: 2,092.
Supporters began gathering at Stewart's house within 90 minutes of the polls closing to tell him they have enjoyed working with him.
Stewart has been mayor of Summerside since 1985. He had said that this would be his last election, but he had hoped to serve one more term before retiring.
"Summerside's been good to me and I'm looking forward now to, as you can see here we've got eight grandchildren, and we're looking forward to spending a lot of time with them and getting a chance to relax," said Stewart, responding to the loss.
"I feel like I just got a piano off my shoulders. It's 43 years ago today that I worked my first shift in the police department. That's a good long run."
Bill Martin said he got into the election expecting to win it, but he said the margin of victory came as a surprise.
"It's humbling, quite frankly. I am looking forward to the challenge. I do recognize that it will be a challenge," said Martin.
Preliminary results for councillors elected with all polls reporting were:
Ward 1 - Bruce MacDougall
Ward 2 - Frank Costa
Ward 3 - Gordie Whitlock
Ward 4 - Brent Gallant
Ward 5 - Greg Campbell
Ward 6 - Norma McColeman
Ward 7 - Brian McFeely
Ward 8 - Tyler DesRoches
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