Reflecting On Tight Race

Wednesday, 24 October 2018 06:45

Election night produced a little bit of drama in the City of Woodstock.

WOODSTOCK - The dust has settled and the smoke has cleared as election season is behind us in Oxford County.

One of the closest races on the night came in Woodstock between Mark Schadenberg and Kate Leatherbarrow for the final seat on City council. Schadenberg spent most of the night trailing and was losing by 40 votes with 6 out of the 7 polls reporting. Shadenberg eventually won by 70 votes after the final poll was recorded.

He talked to Heart FM after an emotional scene inside the Woodstock City council chambers with his family.

"So we had 6/7 polls reporting and we were waiting for the results from the Rock Community Church which is where I voted and I was 40 votes behind and then the last poll came in and I won by about 70 votes. My wife gave me a big hug and my daughter was crying because she was out helping during my campaign, handing out fliers in the rain some days and during the windy cold temperatures. So yeah we were all very excited and I got a nice hug and a kiss from my wife, it was quite a moment. Not to overstate it, but I kind of feel with all the volunteering I have done over the past 25 years with the rec. advisory committee and the Lions club that I have been campaigning for 25 years and not to over state things or under state things but that's the way I feel."

Leatherbarrow, for her part went through a similar wave of emotions. She explains what it was like on election night.

"It was definitely a nail biter, I was surrounded by close friends and family and we were not only jumping up and down but on the edge of our seats and it did feel like the clock was ticking pretty slowly, so it was different emotions and lot's of emotions, I'll say that."

Leatherbarrow says she learned a lot during the election campaign and she is proud of the work she did engaging the community.

"I learned the process of what goes on at City Hall, how to run a clean respectable energetic campaign as well and that is based on a lot of the campaigning schools I went to and just really how to engage the community, community engagement is priority number one for me and I am really proud of that."