Blake Ellis/Local Journalism Initiative

After all the ballots were cast and counted, none of the faces had changed at Oil Springs council.

After a total of 257 ballots were cast, all four incumbents have been returned to office. Adam Veen topped the poll with 211 votes, followed by Jordan Newport at 200, Connie McFadden with 189 and Larry Wagner with 163. Rounding out the results was Dain Pearson with 54 votes, Lara McFarlane with 50 votes and Benjamin Baker with 35 votes.

As the top vote getter, Veen was happy to have the confidence of the residents of Oil Springs. He pointed to fiscal responsibility and continuing to leverage the need for infrastructure funding as what should be priorities for the municipality moving forward for the next four years. An emphasis on housing, business retention and growth, should also be priorities said Veen.

This is the first time Veen has had to go through an election campaign, as recent previous elections have led to acclamations in Oil Springs. This gave residents a chance to air their opinions on the direction of the village.

“Those opinions won’t be lost,” said Veen.

Oil Springs was one of the few municipalities to rely on the paper ballot. With polls closing at 8 pm, it took until 9:45 pm to declare a final count. Officials said 42.76 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot.

While there was a vote for council, Mayor Ian Veen was acclaimed for the next term.

His priority for the next four years – “finding funding will be our mission,” he said. Infrastructure and fixing streets are another. Veen is also proud of the Oil Springs and South Enniskillen Fire Department. The firefighters have received their training and are certified. Members are just waiting on hazardous material training which is only offered a couple of times a year

Oil Springs can’t expand too much more, said the mayor, saying housing development in the village has been significant. To see a further expansion, the village needs to expand the sewage lagoons.

Even though Oil Springs doesn’t have any new councillors, for anyone that is new municipal council in Lambton, the veteran mayor has this message, “Hold on, its going to be an eye opener,” as they delve into the challenges facing municipalities.