Voting stats show some positive trends in the local government elections

The Comox Valley has made it through another local government election cycle relatively unscathed. The social media trolls have vanished. The knives have been safely put away. And the winners have started preparing to take on the serious work of running our municipalities.

The final voting numbers indicate some positive signs that our communities will continue to evolve with grace and charm.

For example, more people turned out to vote this time. Comox and Courtenay saw significant voter increases and even Cumberland, which always leads the Valley in voter turnout, saw a slight increase.

More women ran for office this term, and more were elected than in previous years. This was driven in large part by the Town of Comox, where four women ran and were elected as councillors and the female mayor was acclaimed.

It’s a statistical anomaly, at least in the Comox Valley, to have four women and two men on council and a woman in the mayor’s office.

Overall, it looks like the number of women engaging in public office is trending up.

Here are some other thoughts about the 2026 election.

THE DECAFNATION SCORECARD

One way that Decafnation checks itself is to compare our endorsements with the actual election results. The premise is that if voters elected a high percentage of the candidates we recommended, that indicates we’re in sync with the community perspective – or should we say, the perspective of the community that votes, which is the one that counts.

This year, Decafnation scored 100 percent in Cumberland and Comox, and we missed on three out of seven positions in Courtenay – the mayor and two council positions. To be fair, while we recommended returning incumbent mayor Bob Wells to office, we hinted on Sept. 14 that Manno Theos would win – right after Trish McPhail filed and guaranteed a vote split with Wells.

We recommended the winners in Area B and the Board of School Trustees, but we missed in Area C where three previously unknowns competed.

Out of the 20 people elected to councils, Electoral Areas and school trustees, we had recommended 17, or 85 percent.

CHANGE IN COURTENAY

With only two incumbents returning to City Council and a new mayor for the first time in eight years, Courtenay might appear headed for big changes. There were certainly lots of ideas for change thrown out during the campaign.

But large ships like a city government change direction slowly, if at all. Much of council’s work is determined by the province and the work already set in progress by a previous council. Also, while there will be three new faces at the table, the four elected progressive councillors can vote to steady the course.

That’s good for the city and particularly for city staff. Getting used to a new boss is difficult for any group of employees, but in the public service new councils can sometimes make abrupt changes that cause unintended consequences. For example, a municipality might lose talented, valuable people, especially in the managerial positions.

We hope the balance of council and the mayor’s office will work together to avoid any staffing disruptions.

COUNCIL ABSENCES

One reader wrote in to say, “In light of your piece on Manno’s Greek sojourns, I started speculating on how much he is going to commit to actually showing up at the office, and looked up the Act.

“Consecutive Absences: Unexcused absence from four consecutive regular council meetings or absence for 60 days (whichever is longer/applicable under provincial/local rules) can lead to disqualification from office.”

But that’s unlikely to happen, right?

NOW, ABOUT THAT OTHER ELECTION

We have heard rumblings from our sources in Victoria that, win or lose in this election, Premier David Eby might be on his way out. Some insiders are saying he’s not the leader the NDP needs going forward.

And some other people are whispering in our ear about the potential for really close discussions between the Greens and NDP. Could that lead to something resembling a party merger? Crazy idea, but the NDP used to be the “green” party until they shot themselves in the foot.

Politics in BC is going to change, regardless who wins on Saturday. Old definitions and allegiances don’t work as well today as they did in the ‘70s and beyond. The issues are different, too, and the current party structures don’t appreciate that – maybe the Greens better than anyone.

WHEN DICK CLANCY WAS BORN

Newly-elected City Council member Dick Clancy becomes, at age 77, the oldest sitting Comox Valley public official in recent memory. So we thought to look up some notable local milestones and events that happened in 1949:

– Lewis Park Pool Opening: In Courtenay, a new community swimming pool was opened at Lewis Park, establishing a long-standing recreational hub for local families.

– Construction of Shakesides: Hamilton Mack Laing, a highly respected Canadian naturalist, writer, and ornithologist, built his iconic home—known as Shakesides—along the Comox waterfront. Upon his passing, the property and a significant trust were left to the Town of Comox to serve as a natural history museum.

– The Leung’s Building Construction: The prominent Leung’s Building downtown was under construction, as highlighted in the January 20, 1949 edition of the Comox District Free Press.

– Veterans’ Housing Expansion: Following the donation of the 10-acre “Cudmore land” by the City of Courtenay, major construction took off on a quarter-million-dollar housing development consisting of 40 new homes built specifically for returning World War II veterans.

Leif Jason contributed reporting and graphics to this story.

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