Looking at the numbers, incumbent Doug Shipley’s victory in Ward 3 was eclipsed only by the mayor’s race.
Shipley had just shy of 70 per cent of the vote in the north-end ward with 1,614 votes. Jeff Lehman won his third term as mayor with almost 91 per cent of the vote.
But whatever the numbers are, Shipley said it's never easy.
“I’m glad it’s over,” Shipley told BarrieToday on Monday night. “Campaigns are always a tough time for myself and for families. If you’ve never put your name in, a lot of people don’t realize what you put yourself and your families through.
"It’s a relief to all the candidates," he added.
Shipley, who was first elected to city council in 2010, also congratulated victors as well as the candidates who fell short in their wards.
The three-person race in Ward 3 included Shipley (1,614 votes), Tanya Saari (415) and Lynn-Anne Hill (277).
Shipley says he’s looking forward to serving Ward 3 for another four years.
“I think I’ve done the job, for the most part, for the last eight years and that people are satisfied with what I’ve been doing,” Shipley said.
There are some big issues to tackle in the next term, Shipley noted, but he’s eager to get going.
“I’d like to get going right off the hop,” he said. “We’ve got the annexed lands coming on board … and we have to do some work with downtown, absolutely.”
Another area, of course, is traffic, which is a common complaint in virtually every ward.
The new Barrie city council for 2018-22 will be sworn in on Dec. 1.
