It's official

TWILLINGATE - A news release from the office of the provincial Chief Returning Officer issued on Nov. 8 advised that Sterling Elliott, the returning officer for The Isles of Notre Dame, on the basis of an official recount, had declared the Progressive Conservative candidate Derrick Dalley elected with a margin of 12 votes.

At the closing of polls on election night Oct. 9, Mr. Dalley had led by just seven votes resulting in an automatic official recount. Carried out at Grand Falls-Windsor by a judge of the Supreme Court of the province, the recount process took one-and-a-half days, advising the CRO that Mr. Dalley had been assigned 2,376 votes as opposed to 2,364 for his opponent Gerry Reid. There were a total of 13 rejected ballots.

Mr. Dalley was quite pleased that the process of recount had been concluded and was understandably relieved. His immediate plans, he advised, were to prepare for his departure from his position as school administrator and J.M. Olds Collegiate and as soon as possible take up his role as the district MHA.

"I'm actually looking forward to the challenge," he said, "and I'm hoping to become a true district MHA who can be readily accessed by the people.

"The first thing I have to do after getting sworn in is to let my constituents know who I am and what I bring to the position. Of course I alluded to that during the election but now I can say it with certainty. Definitely, I plan to be more visible than has been the custom for my predecessors. In particular, I want to build a solid working relationship with community leaders.

"Meanwhile I want to express appreciation to all those who assisted me during the election and especially a sincere thank you to my active supporters and workers."

Ross Kendall, who served as Mr. Dalley's campaign manager during the election, was present at the recount as Mr. Dalley's agent. He explained the process of the recount and his impression.

"It was very efficient, with a Supreme Court Judge in charge while lawyer George Murphy of Corner Brook represented the Progressive Conservative party and Mr. Dalley's interests," said Mr. Kendall. "However, there were no representatives whatsoever from the other party and, in fact, the recount was delayed for an hour at the beginning while those present waited at least for an explanation.

"A total of some 30-plus ballots were identified as questionable and set aside for closer scrutiny while the remainder were clearly identified," said Mr. Kendall. "The final result showed Mr. Reid with the same count as reported on election night at 2,364 while Mr. Dalley's count increased by five votes to 2,376."

Mr. Dalley advised that his first official appearance as the new MHA was to be at the War Memorial in Twillingate on Remembrance Day where he would be laying a wreath on behalf of the provincial government.