Doug Kobayashi re-elected as mayor of Colwood in landslide victory

Colwood’s mayoral contest was a rematch with history—the mayoral ballot included Doug Kobayashi, who came in as incumbent mayor; Rob Martin, the former mayor; and Cynthia Day, a longtime councillor.

Kobayashi has been re-elected as mayor of Colwood, securing 4,250 votes (78.5%) in Saturday’s municipal election.

Kobayashi easily defeated challengers Robert Martin, who received 626 votes (11.6%), and Cynthia Day, who finished with 537 votes (9.9%).

Colwood voters also elected six councillors: Misty Olsen (3,864 votes), Eugene Tseng (3,616), Ian Ward (3,264), David Grove (3,232), Deborah Law (3,146), and Harold Bloomenthal (2,624).

Jennifer Parlee, Terri Lynn Freedman Gee, and Kim Jordison were unsuccessful in their bids for council seats.

In 2022, Kobayashi defeated Martin by 1,343 votes to become mayor.

Colwood has been growing quickly in recent years, and with that growth comes a whole new set of challenges.

Traffic, housing development and keeping infrastructure up to speed have all been major talking points, particularly as more people make the West Shore home.

Mayor and council will have their work cut out for them as they figure out how to keep Colwood moving forward while making sure the city’s infrastructure can keep up.