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Cecchini takes over Fruitvale's reins

A former village councillor has made the successful step up in the race for the Fruitvale mayor’s seat.

A former village councillor has made the successful step up in the race for the Fruitvale mayor’s seat.

As the only municipal election of note in Fruitvale, the mayor’s campaign was a two-horse race with former councillor Patricia Cecchini coming out ahead of Gary Moisson, 322 to 232.

Considering Libby Nelson retired as the village’s mayor after 15 years, there was enough interest in who would be the new mayor to draw out 36 per cent of eligible voters — 554 out of 1,526 voters.

With all four councillors elected by acclamation in Fruitvale, it doesn’t mean the village’s council will get a free pass the next three years. In fact, with taxes maintained at little to no increase in the past three years, incumbent and acclaimed councillor Bert Kniss said the coming version of council will have its work cut out for them to tow that line of fiscal belt tightening in their next mandate.

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“We’re like a lot of the rest of Canada, we have to deal with our aging infrastructure,” he said. “I think it’s foolish to believe we can continue to go without a tax increase, especially since (staff) wages will likely be going up.”

Kniss said he would be bringing his background as a financial investment advisor into play in the next three years in helping keep the municipality’s spending under wraps.

For council, Kniss, Tabatha Webber and Lawrence Gray returned unchallenged to council, while Jill Prince rounded out the acclaimed four.