By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
Election brings winners, a runoff and a recount
Recount in Richmond Hill Post 2 race set for 9 a.m. Nov. 12 in Pembroke Two-way runoff in Post 4 race will be held Dec. 3 in Richmond Hill
School board races highlight local election

The day after Tuesday’s municipal elections in Pembroke and Richmond Hill, a couple of things were clear.

In Pembroke, incumbents Judy Cook and Tiffany Walraven won Tuesday’s election handily, according to City Clerk Sharroll Fanslau, with Cook beating challenger Sharon Lewis 353109 and Walraven outpolling Edward Winters 117-39.

That means Cook will serve a fifth term as mayor and Walraven will get a fourth term as the Post 4 council member.

In Richmond Hill, things were more unsettled, with one runoff in the works and a recount set for 9 a.m. Nov. 12 in the Post 2 race between Robbie Ward and David London after Ward won by a slim margin, 684 to 630.

London said Wednesday he asked for the recount based on the closeness of the race.

In the Post 4 race, incumbent Les Fussell is in a runoff with Steve Scholar after neither got 50 percent of the vote in the three-way race with challenger Chakiris “Chuck Moss.”

Scholar had 618 votes while Fussell had 466. The runoff is scheduled for Dec. 3, according to Richmond Hill City Clerk Dawnne Greene.

Meanwhile, in the Post 3 contest, challenger Mark Ott outpolled incumbent Bill Donahue by a 713-545 margin. None of the results are official until they’re certified by the secretary of state’s office. That usually takes two to three days.

In addition, Richmond Hill voters approved the city’s Tax Allocation District measure by a 2-to-1 margin. It passed by a vote of 870-432.

What candidates said Wednesday: 

Judy Cook: “I appreciate the confidence that the voting citizens of Pembroke have placed in me to represent them as Mayor for four more years. I promise to make them proud by continuing to move Pembroke forward. As always, our doors and hearts are open and we hope those same citizens will continue to make their voices heard and continue to be advocates for a better Pembroke.”

Tiffany Walraven: “What a blessing to serve the city of Pembroke and make a positive impact in our community. First, I give God the glory for it all. I am blessed and humbled at your support once again. Thank you to everyone that voted, to those who put out signs and helped with the campaign, and those who encouraged and prayed for me along the way. We have a great deal of projects that are in process and I’m excited to see them through. We have to hit the ground running and I look forward to what is to come in our future. Thank you from the bottom of my heart and I will proudly continue my service to you and this great city with integrity, honesty and determination for the next four years.”

In Richmond Hill: Robbie Ward: “I wish to give a heartfelt thanks to all of my supporters. I am honored and humbled by your belief in me and I promise to work hard every day over the next two years to make Richmond Hill a welcoming and successful community for all of its citizens. I look forward to working with the other council members as a team to make decisions that will affect the future of our city. I wish to thank my opponent David London. It was a clean, respectful, and hard fought campaign and I truly admire him. I hope to serve with David in some capacity in the future.”

David London: “I am so grateful to everyone that told a friend about the campaign, worked so hard, and came out to vote. Richmond Hill is an awesome community. My hope is that council will look after the longstanding needs of our older neighborhoods. And I congratulate our new city council team.”

Editor’s note: Both statements were made prior to London’s request for a recount.

Mark Ott: “I’m honored the residents of Richmond Hill voted for me and are entrusting me to represent them on city council. I want to thank everyone that helped during our campaign, especially my wife, Amanda! I want to credit my opponent, Bill Donahue, for running a great campaign. Campaigning for city council was tough, but now the real work begins for our community. We need to make sure we plan appropriately for the future of our city which means proper infrastructure such as Fire, Police, Streets, Public Utilities and work closer with our school board. During our campaign, I received a lot of good ideas from the residents of Richmond Hill. I want them to keep voicing their ideas as well as their concerns to me. Now that I’m elected, I want to be their voice, A Voice for Everyone!.”

Les Fussell: “The number of voters on Tuesday are impressive. I’m excited that just over 10 percent of the Richmond Hill citizens voted. Congratulations to Robbie Ward and Mark Ott with their successful election to Council seats 2 and 3. I also congratulate David London and Bill Donahue for their campaigns and efforts over the past months. As for the upcoming Dec. 3 runoff for Council seat 4, I look forward to working hard over the next couple of weeks. I was not surprised with the need for a runoff. Both Steve Scholar and Chuck Moss were tough challengers for this seat. It’s my hope that voters will return to the polls and vote in the runoff.”

Chakiris “Chuck” Moss: Congratulations to Mark Ott and Robbie Ward and best wishes to my two opponents, Les Fussell and Steve Scholar, in their run off bids. I want to particularly thank all of my supporters, and citizens of Richmond Hill, who made great strides during this election by making their voices heard. Additionally I want to thank my wife Cassandra and my family for their tremendous support and encouragement. Lastly, it was a pleasure to have such a great opportunity to run for office and meet so many wonderful people.”


Sign up for our E-Newsletters