Mayor Walt Cobb was back to work at city hall by 8:30 a.m. Monday morning after winning the 2018 municipal election.
The second-term mayor, who gained international attention for leading the community through the 2017 wildfires, took home 60.4 per cent, or 1,843 votes while his challenger, former city councillor Surinderpal Rathor received 1,177 votes.
Sitting in the sun on a bench outside city hall overlooking the downtown, passing motorists still honked and waved in support of Cobb Monday while he sat for a brief interview.
When asked how he felt about the campaign, Cobb said personal attacks on social media took its toll on him but he chose not to engage in it.
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“My supporters told me to bite my tongue. Actually I think my tongue was bleeding at times,” Cobb joked. “But I took the high road.”
Most of his first day back on the job entailed taking calls from potential investors excited for his return and getting back to business, he said.
“There’s lots of work to do, now we just have to push ahead and get it done,” he said. “We will be going full force in the spring.”
When asked if he is known for being pro-development, Cobb said his platform has always been to reduce red tape at city hall to encourage growth.
“Being progressive rather than trying to stop everything.”
Cobb was at his lakecity home with his wife Lynette and family when he learned of the win.
In all, 3,051 out of 7,839 eligible voters cast their ballots in the election, or 38.9 per cent, down from 45.8 per cent in 2014 and 50.7 per cent in 2011.
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