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Warfield polls open today and Saturday

Warfield voters have two more chances to have their say in this important byelection.
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Advance voting goes Wednesday and Saturday in the Warfield Municipal Building from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m.

Warfield voters have two more chances to have their say in this important byelection - three seats are up for the five-member council.

Today (Wednesday) is the second advance poll and Saturday is general voting day, polling stations will be set up in the village’s municipal office on Schofield Highway.

And, casting a ballot only takes minutes if voters go in prepared.

“Everyone needs to bring ID, picture ID such as a Driver’s Licence is best,” advises Warfield’s Corporate Officer Jackie Patridge. “If the address is not correct, they should bring another item with their name and address on it, such as a utility bill,” she added.

“The polls are open from 8 a.m. until 8 p.m. so everybody should be able to fit it into their schedule, voting takes about five minutes.”

In the running for mayor are Diane Langman and Brett Rakuson, two former elected councillors who resigned from those positions in December with stated intentions of vying for the head seat.

Those two resignations came midway through the four-year civic term and opened up spots for two new councillors. Community interest was notable with four men coming forward as candidates. They are Bradley Jansen, Ronald Joseph, Wesley Robilliard and Raymond Masleck.

Coun. Shane Ferraro is now the lone village official still serving the position he was elected to in November 2014. (Acting Mayor Arlene Parkinson was elected as councillor in Warfield’s April 2016 byelection).

Ferraro is encouraging the community to vote, choosing new council members is pivotal because planning for the village’s next 20 years is currently underway. Three new faces and opinions at the table could set the tone and direction.

“We need to get a team in place,” Ferraro told the Trail Times. “A team that not only has differing views, but are willing to come together on similarities instead of differences,” he emphasized. “It’s good to have a council that can come together on common ground and figure out solutions, that’s what we really need right now.”

According to the website Civic Info BC, Warfield has a pool of 1,400 registered voters. So far, 110 people or less than 10 per cent of that eligible populace cast a vote during the first advance opportunity last Wednesday.

Unofficial results will be released after polls close Saturday night. Those results will be made official next week, Ferraro says the date for swearing in will likely be decided at the March 1 council meeting.

Acting Deputy Mayor Arlene Parkinson was on the road Tuesday, and shared her thoughts with the Trail Times the following morning.

"I think it is very important for all people to exercise their right to vote, wherever they are," said Parkinson. "We are very lucky to live in a democratic country where we can have a say when choosing our leaders."

The Village of Warfield has been challenged with two by elections so far in a four-year term and this causes extra expense and a slowing of the process that it takes to run a local government, she added.

"I urge all residents of the Village of Warfield to please vote on Saturday and make your choice for future leadership in our community."

Over the next two years and ongoing, the Village of Warfield Council will be working hard on infrastructure management by following the lead of our Infrastructure Committee, Parkinson continued.

"We will be taking part in a water study for the Village so that we can look at all options and make an educated decision on our water needs for the future.  With informed decision making, the Village Council will be working on scheduled maintenance, planning, budgeting, bylaws and all and any other opportunities and challenges that come our way."



Sheri Regnier

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