VANCOUVER, Wash. - Municipal elections are still more than a month away, but mayors for dozens of communities across B.C. have already won by acclamation after standing unopposed.
Nomination information collated by non-profit group CivicInfo BC shows 37 B.C. mayoral candidates automatically won after the nomination period closed on Sept. 9 at 4 p.m.
Among them were Burnaby Mayor Mike Hurley and Port Coquitlam Mayor Brad West, both of whom get second terms.
West says his unopposed victory wasn't what he expected, and he had been prepared for a full campaign ahead of election day on Oct. 15.
He says it's hard to speculate on why no other candidates put their names forward this time, but he's "incredibly proud" of what his city has accomplished in the past four years.
It's not uncommon for mayors to win by acclamation, and CivicInfo BC's executive director Todd Pugh says that in 2018, 36 B.C. mayors were elected without contest.
B.C. mayors who won by acclamation this year include:
Dennis A Buchanan, Alert Bay
Joe Craner, Armstrong
Barbara H Roden, Ashcroft
Ward Stamer, Barriere
Mike Hurley, Burnaby
Ryan Windsor, Central Saanich
Ruth Hoyte, Coldstream
Nicole B. Minions, Comox
Michelle P. Staples, Duncan
Sarrah A Storey, Fraser Lake
Steve J Morissette, Fruitvale
Linda J McGuire, Granisle
Ken Williams, Highlands
Shane Brienen, Houston
Allen Miller, Invermere
Maureen Pinkney, 100 Mile House
Sylvia Pranger, Kent
Don McCormick, Kimberley
Phil Germuth, Kitimat
Aaron Stone, Ladysmith
Sheri A Disney, Masset
Alan Raine, Mountain Resort Municipality
Tom Zeleznik, Nakusp
Kevin Murdoch, Oak Bay
Martin Johansen, Oliver
Nicole MacDonald, Pitt Meadows
Scott Cabianca, Port Clements
Brad West, Port Coquitlam
Mark Baker, Sayward
Cliff McNeil-Smith, Sidney
Colin Ferguson, Silverton
Christine A Fraser, Spallumcheen
Sean Bujtas, Terrace
Dan B. Law, Tofino
Owen M. Torgerson, Valemount
Ed Coleman, Wells
Julie Colborne, Zeballos
