West Kelowna

Central Okanagan Regional District Westside director Aaron Dinwoodie said he wasn't surprised by Saturday's vote for incorporation but now that it's over, he's looking to the future.

Instead of focusing on the deep cleave in voter interests, he said he was encouraged by how many people took an active interest in the future of their community.

"Now the most exciting thing happens, which is that we get to build a community together," he says. "I am sure everyone that has been involved, that is where their focus will be."

Dinwoodie was firmly on the fence during the campaign saying his heart told him incorporation was right but amalgamation seemed to make more sense. He noted that while less than half the eligible voters cast ballots (48 per cent or 11,586 out of 23,780 eligible voters), it was far more than the roughly 16 per cent who voted in the 2005 regional district elections.
"I am just so happy that everyone (was) engaged as fully as they were in this election," he said. "That is the largest per capita household turnout we have had here on the Westside in the last generation."

Dinwoodie on CKOV radio Saturday night.