City of Cambridge releases unofficial Catholic school board trustee election results

Over a month after the provincial municipal election ended, the City of Cambridge has wrapped up its Waterloo Catholic District School Board Trustee Election.

On Friday, the city released the unofficial results which show David Guerin, Marisa Phillips and Robert Sikora have been voted in.

“This election saw a voter turnout of 5.7 per cent with 1,144 eligible voters casting a ballot online,” the city said in a news release.

Of those ballots cast, Philips received the most with 971, followed by Guerin with 685 and Sikora with 495

The newly elected join Winston Darryl Francis, Jesse Keels and Michael John Rattee.

CAUSE OF DEALY

Two days before the election on Oct. 24, the City of Cambridge declared an emergency under section 53 of the Municipal Election Act, 1996. As a result of the declaration, all results for the WCDSB from the City of Cambridge were voided.

The reason was the ballot for the position of WCDSB Trustee did not include all six certified candidates with two of the six being left off the ballot.

The election was further delayed on Nov. 17 after the city said there were postage deals.

“The City of Cambridge is committed to a fair and transparent election process. While not mandated by the Municipal Election Act, the City has launched a third-party review to understand how and why the error occurred and to ensure improvements towards future processes,” the city said.

Costs associated with the municipal election, the resumption of the WCDSB election, and review are funded from the Election Reserve Fund. The City contributes annually to the Election Reserve Fund to support election work and preparation.

A report, including costs, is expected to be completed by the new year.