In an evening filled with close votes and races too tight to call, Liberal MLA Dan Ashton鈥檚 re-election never seemed to be in doubt.
Ashton took the lead in the very first poll reporting in, and never lost it. With all the ballots reported, Ashton has a solid grip on the Penticton riding with 13,671 votes, well ahead of NDP candidate Tarik Sayeed at 7,150 votes. Green Connie Sahlmark made a strong showing, with 4,707 votes, accounting for 18.44 per cent of the votes counted.
That鈥檚 the best showing the Green Party has made in the Penticton riding. The previous high point was in 2009 when Julius Bloomfield won 15.66 per cent of the vote. Ashton鈥檚 53.55 per cent is also a high point, well above the 45. 83 per cent he achieved when he was first elected in 2013, and the highest the Liberals have achieved in the area since the 2001 election, when Bill Barisoff swept the former Penticton-Okanagan Valley riding with 62.73 per cent.
Before the polls closed at 8 p.m. Ashton, the incumbent candidate, admitted to feeling a bit nervous.
鈥淚 am on pins and needles, to be frank,鈥� he said.
But as the evening wore on and his lead solidified, Ashton thanked his supporters who dropped by the casual gathering in Penticton鈥檚 Boston Pizza.
鈥淚 am not here because of me, I am here because of each and every one of you,鈥� said Ashton. 鈥淲hen you make a promise and you deliver, it makes such a big difference.鈥�
One of those promises is the expansion to Penticton Regional Hospital, which Ashton says is both a promise kept and a goal for his next term.
鈥淚 want to get this hospital finished,鈥� said Ashton, explaining its importance to the whole South Okanagan Similkameen. 鈥淚 want to be sure it is finished to how we promised it would be finished.鈥�
Also important to communities throughout the riding is affordable housing, according to Ashton.
鈥淲e are in the process of delivering 179 units here in Penticton. Peachland will be underway very shortly,鈥� said Ashton. 鈥淲hen we all sit down and work together, we can make these projects deliverable.鈥�
Sayeed also praised the work of his supporters.
鈥漈his election was about building a better B.C. for every one of us,鈥� said Sayeed. 鈥淚鈥檓 proud of all the work we鈥檝e done.鈥�
Sayeed said he was overwhelmed by the support he received during the campaign, adding that they need to win the younger generation.
Ethan Freistadt is one of those youth, a Summerland Secondary School student who volunteered with Sayeed鈥檚 campaign.
鈥淭he whole experience of helping out on the campaign was beneficial for us all,鈥� said Freistadt, echoed by a fellow SSS volunteers, Sarah Gottwald.
鈥淚t broke us all out of our little shells.鈥�
Ashton鈥檚 children were also at the party to support him. His son Coleton said he was never worried, but daughter Chantal admitted a little concern.
鈥淚t was nerve-wracking,鈥� said Chantal. 鈥淲e always have faith in him. He鈥檚 never lost an election. You can definitely tell his hard work pays off.鈥�
Ashton was first elected as Liberal MLA for the Penticton riding in 2013, after serving two terms as Penticton mayor and three terms as a city councillor. Selected as the Liberal candidate after Barisoff retired, Ashton won the 2013 election with 10,487 votes, ahead of NDP challenger Richard Cannings鈥� 9,225 votes. Cannings would later run for, and win, the new federal riding of South Okanagan West Kootenay for the NDP.
As MLA, Ashton chaired the Committee on Finance and Government Services, is a member of the Treasury Board and Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Finance. He is also president of the Pacific NorthWest Economic Region, a cross-border working group.
Ashton isn鈥檛 sure any of those positions will continue in the coming term.
鈥淎t this point in time, I am still a candidate until the election is officially declared,鈥� said Ashton, who also wouldn鈥檛 speculate on whether he might get stepped up in his second term.
鈥淚 will be very happy with whatever the premier 鈥� appoints me to,鈥� said Ashton. 鈥淢y first priority is looking after the citizens that I represent.
鈥淚 really like good governance, I am not a real big fan of politics. In my mind, all governance is local, and I am going to ensure that is delivered here.鈥�
