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Kelowna  

Colin clobbers competition

Alanna Kelly

Kelowna has made their choice and Colin Basran is back as mayor.

The Curious Cafe restaurant in Kelowna was bustling with people anticipating the arrival of Basran as election numbers started trickling in.

Before he arrived many already declared him a winner.

Basran walking into the room at 9:45 p.m., getting congratulated and thanking everyone for being there to celebrate the victory.

“I am just so grateful for what has just happened,” said Basran.

Campaigning as the incumbent is tough, he said.

“You have four years of decisions that people can either be really happy with or really not like,” he said. “There is a greater sense of negativity so that was difficult for myself and my family.”

When asked if he thought he would win, Basran said he was cautiously optimist.

“I felt like we did some really great things for this community but I also know there are some concerns that our residents have about where we are heading,” he said. “But at the end of the day the fact that all of the incumbents were re-elected I think says a lot.”

Nerves were high as Basran watched the numbers trickle in, but once he started seeing more numbers come in he started to get excited.

“At the end of the day I'm very satisfied with how things turned out,” he said,

Mayoral candidate Tom Dyas, who used to be a close friend of Basran, called him on Sunday night for a “very brief conversation and to congratulate him on his victory.”

“I applaud him for putting his name forward,” said Basran.

Basran quickly tried to divert the conservation to focus on friends and family,

When asked if the two were still friends Basran said “I am really focused on friends and family tonight I have not really given it much thought.”

The final numbers indicate Basran has an impressive endorsement from the people of Kelowna.

Basran finished the night with just over 18,000 votes, compared to his opponent Dyas with 9,518.

Castanet News live broadcast coverage of the entire Kelowna municipal election can be viewed in the video below.



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