Oakville election: Rob Burton re-elected mayor
Long-time mayor, first elected in 2006, earns fourth term
Rob Burton has been re-elected for his fourth term as mayor of Oakville.
Burton garnered 22,918 votes — just shy of 50 per cent of the ballots cast — with all 42 polls reporting. He faced two challengers, restaurateur Julia Hanna and lawyer John McLaughlin.
Monday night's results are preliminary and official results will be posted by Thursday, according to the town.
Town councillors
Ward 1: Beth Robertson
Ward 2: Ray Chisholm*
Ward 3: Janet Haslett-Theall
Ward 4: Peter Longo*
Ward 5: Marc Grant*
Ward 6: Natalia Lishchyna* (acclaimed)
Ward 7:Jasvinder Sandhu
Regional and local councillors
Ward 1: Sean O'Meara*
Ward 2: Cathy Duddeck* (acclaimed)
Ward 3: Dave Gittings* (acclaimed)
Ward 4: Allan Elgar*
Ward 5: Jeff Knoll*
Ward 6: Tom Adams* (acclaimed)
Ward: Pavan Parmar
* = Incumbent
Oakville's campaign was dominated by public transit issues and concerns about population growth. Ahead of the vote, some Oakville residents and candidates suggested restricting future condominium construction to areas near GO Train lines and locations that won't obstruct green space.
Really happy to see <a href="https://twitter.com/OakvilleMayor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OakvilleMayor</a>, <a href="https://twitter.com/CouncillorKnoll?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CouncillorKnoll</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/TrusteeJoanna?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TrusteeJoanna</a> re-elected in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oakville?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oakville</a> - honourable mention to <a href="https://twitter.com/CouncillorAdams?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CouncillorAdams</a> on his acclamation! Oakville has strong leadership at both the town and regional level for the next four years.
—@WielerHannahCongratulations to my friend <a href="https://twitter.com/OakvilleMayor?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OakvilleMayor</a> Rob Burton on his election again tonight! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Oakville?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Oakville</a> <a href="https://t.co/Y1Xn7Qv6jG">pic.twitter.com/Y1Xn7Qv6jG</a>
—@JohnOliverMPAnother defining issue of the campaign was the town's protracted and costly legal battle with the owner of the Glen Abbey Golf Club.
The town has spent millions in its fight to nix a proposal to redevelop the famed golf course, a plan that would include building nine apartment buildings and new commercial spaces. Oakville's town council rejected the proposal in September 2017.
Some candidates wanted to keep the golf course as is, while others said they would work to convert it into a public park space.
Burton told the Oakville Beaver earlier this year that the legal fight was crucial to saving green space and protecting the town from "inappropriate development."