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New B.C. Mayors Unseat Incumbents, Win Close Races

New B.C. Mayors Win Exciting Races

There were a few surprises in Saturday's civic elections in B.C., with some mayoral upsets and one supposedly close race that turned out to be a blowout.

The contest to lead B.C.'s fastest growing city turned out to be a runaway victory for Surrey First's Linda Hepner. She replaces outgoing mayor Dianne Watts, who was the party's leader. Watts stepped down to seek a federal Conservative nomination.

The Surrey mayoral race was billed as too close to call. But Hepner ran away with the job, past former mayor Doug McCallum and councillor Barinder Rasode.

Surrey First also swept all the council seats.

In New Westminster, four-term incumbent mayor Wayne Wright, 71, was unseated by councillor Jonathan X. Cote, 35.

Two-term Nanaimo mayor John Ruttan finished a distant fourth, while city councillor Bill McKay took the city's top job.

In one of the closest mayoral races, Victoria councillor Lisa Helps squeezed past incumbent Dean Fortin, winning with fewer than 100 votes.

Check out some of the new faces in mayor's chairs around B.C.:

Maple Ridge: Nicole Read

New B.C. Mayors, 2014

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