Rishi Sharma elected Saanich mayor as voters shake up council

Saanich has elected a new mayor following Saturday’s municipal election, with Rishi Sharma defeating two sitting councillors to become the district’s next leader.

Sharma received 17,157 votes (45.3%), defeating councillor Zac de Vries, who finished second with 14,785 votes (39%).

Councillor Karen Harper received 5,299 votes (14%), while Robin Morton Stanbridge finished with 624 votes (1.6%). The race was decided by 2,372 votes.

The victory marks a significant political comeback for Sharma, who narrowly missed securing a council seat in 2022 by just 11 votes.

Four years later, he has been elected to the municipality’s top job. Sharma ran under the Save Our Saanich banner and will replace outgoing mayor Dean Murdock, who decided not to seek a second term.

Murdock was first elected mayor in 2022, narrowly defeating incumbent Fred Haynes by just 152 votes.

But the changes at Saanich Municipal Hall extend well beyond the mayor’s chair.

Five of the eight council seats will be occupied by newcomers, while three incumbent councillors have been re-elected.

Of the 27 candidates competing for eight council seats, the following were elected:

• Lorne DeLarge — 16,615 votes (new)
• Nancy Di Castri — 16,319 votes (new)
• Colin Plant — 16,174 votes (re-elected)
• Laurie Lidstone — 15,389 votes (new)
• Graham Wright — 15,101 votes (new)
• Matt McGeachie — 14,591 votes (new)
• Nathalie Chambers — 13,027 votes (re-elected)
• Teale Phelps Bondaroff — 12,735 votes (re-elected)

DeLarge topped the council race, receiving more than 16,600 votes. Meanwhile, longtime councillors Susan Brice and Judy Brownoff were unsuccessful in their bids for re-election.

Brice finished tenth with 11,462 votes, while Brownoff received 10,473 votes. Another particularly close result came in the race for the final council seat.

Teale Phelps Bondaroff secured eighth place with 12,735 votes, just 103 votes ahead of Mauricio Curbelo, who finished ninth with 12,632 votes.

Saanich voters also weighed in on the possibility of amalgamating with Victoria through a non-binding ballot question.

The proposal was rejected, with 67.96% voting against amalgamation and 32.04% voting in favour.

Voter turnout reached 42.74%, with 38,299 ballots cast among 89,617 eligible voters.

Sharma and the newly elected council will now face several significant issues, including housing affordability, development, transportation, infrastructure and municipal spending.

The results are preliminary and remain subject to official confirmation.