Zeb King elected Central Saanich mayor as voters bring major changes to council

Central Saanich will have a new mayor and a largely new council following Saturday’s municipal election, with longtime councillor Zeb King winning the race to replace outgoing mayor Ryan Windsor.

King received 3,616 votes (52.6%), defeating challenger Patrick Bryant, who received 3,257 votes (47.4%).

The race was decided by just 359 votes.

King, who has served on Central Saanich council for several terms, will now move into the mayor’s chair after Windsor decided not to seek re-election.

Windsor has served as mayor since winning a byelection in 2013 and was subsequently re-elected in 2014 before being acclaimed in both 2018 and 2022.

However, Windsor has now turned his attention to provincial politics. He is running as the BC Conservative candidate for Saanich North and the Islands in the October 24th provincial election, taking place just one week after Saturday’s municipal vote.

Meanwhile, Central Saanich voters have elected a largely new council, with only one incumbent councillor returning.

The following councillors were elected:

• Susan Zedel — 4,159 votes (new)
• Sarah Riddell — 4,157 votes (re-elected)
• Kathleen Zimmerman — 3,976 votes (new)
• Ben Michell — 3,893 votes (new)
• Anny Scoones — 3,605 votes (former councillor returning)
• David Lawson — 3,379 votes (new)

Zedel topped the council race by just two votes over incumbent Sarah Riddell.

Another notable result is the election of four candidates associated with the Sustain OUR Central Saanich slate: Zedel, Zimmerman, Scoones and Lawson.

The group campaigned on concerns surrounding development, municipal spending, transparency and public engagement.

Meanwhile, incumbent councillors Christopher Graham and Bob Thompson were unsuccessful in their re-election bids.

Thompson finished seventh with 2,983 votes, while Graham received 2,049 votes.

The results mean King will lead a council with five members who were not part of the outgoing council.

Central Saanich’s newly elected officials will have several issues to tackle over the next four years, including housing affordability, development, agricultural land protection, infrastructure and municipal spending.

The results are preliminary and remain subject to official confirmation.