CENTRE WELLINGTON – With 16 years on Centre Wellington council, Kirk McElwain wished he could lend his experience to help guide a council made up largely of newcomers.
However, he’ll have to do so from the sidelines as Kim Jefferson won in Ward 2 over McElwain, capturing 592 votes compared to 403.
Jefferson is part of a council made up of six new councillors as other incumbents did not run, or in the case of Neil Dunsmore and Bob Foster, lost the mayor’s race to Shawn Watters — a past township and county councillor.
When reached by phone the morning after the election, McElwain was disappointed in the result and voter turnout under 40 per cent.
“Those that did vote, voted their opinion and I lost as well as some other people that are also going to be very disappointed today,” McElwain said.
He remembered when he was first elected to Centre Wellington council in 2006 he was one of few newcomers and learned a lot from more experienced counterparts around the horseshoe.
“The first thing that’s going to happen on council is developing a strategic plan and approving a budget for 2023, those are two heavy duty tasks to start off with a brand new council,” McElwain said. “I think it’s like drinking from a firehose for those folks.”
The new council will need to rely on the guidance and leadership from the more experienced mayor, McElwain said, but he felt Watters is up to the task despite it being many years since being on township council.
“I think that Shawn is going to be able to take council back to where it should have been with a lot more council involvement in future decisions,” McElwain said.
“I think he’s going to be a good leader and he’s got some good council members that are working with him. I just wish I had been there obviously to work with him and the new councillors to help acclimatize them.”
McElwain is not concerned that he’ll be short on things to do now. In fact, he could likely do more with community projects he’s involved in such as Sensational Elora, Monster Month or the Elora Sculpture Project.
That said, McElwain said he will miss being on council and doesn’t seem himself running again in the future.
“I have enjoyed the last 16 years, I’m very humbled by the fact that residents of Centre Wellington allowed me to represent them for 16 years,” McElwain said. “I’m going to miss that of course, the interaction with residents and being able to help when they call and say ‘could you help out with this?’ I love being able to try to help anyhow.”
