Heather Dedio is the Village of Granisle’s newest councillor, defeating Kathy Bedard in a runoff election held Nov. 19 to break a tie that occurred during the regular council election night on Oct. 15.
Dedio collected 44 votes to Bedard’s 35 on Nov. 19 compared to each receiving 64 votes for a tie on Oct. 15.
She joins the council’s other three councillors in governing village affairs for the next four years and this will be her first term.
Dedio will be sworn in right before the Dec. 7 council meeting, enabling her to then sit at the council table with the others.
Bedard was an incumbent councillor, having been selected in a byelection one year ago following the death earlier in 2021 of long-time councillor Tom Liversidge.
Under the Local Government Act, the legislation which guides elections and the results, a judicial recount is mandatory when there is a tie.
That recount, held Oct. 24 in Houston by provincial court judge William Jackson, confirmed the tie vote recorded on election night and that set the machinery in motion for the run off vote between Dedio and Bedard on Nov. 19.
While a runoff election was needed to decide who would be the fourth councillor, there were no such issues with the other three councillors chosen the regular election night of Oct. 15.
Karen Barber received 89 votes, Marilyn Berglund received 88 votes and Calvin Thompson received 67 votes. All were incumbents.
Of a potential 303 voters, just 108 turned out to cast ballots on Oct. 15 and just 79 people turned out to vote Nov. 19.
There was no election for mayor as incumbent Linda McGuire was the only person to file nomination papers.