Separated by 11 votes

SYLVAN LAKE — Residents had to wait a while to find out who was going to fill two spots on Sylvan Lake’s City Council, but the results are now official.

Three candidates were running for the two open spots.

According to a representative from the Sylvan Lake City Clerk’s Office, the results were announced to residents Nov. 18, nearly two weeks after the Nov. 5 general election.

Jim Cowper and Eucharist Peter Cassar ran as write-in candidates, with Sally Segal being the only one on the ballot who did not run as a write-in candidate.

Cowper and Segal, who are both incumbents, retained their spots on the Sylvan Lake City Council, with Segal finishing with 647 votes and Cowper with 348 votes.

Although Cassar, who is known as Luke by some residents, has previously served on Sylvan’s City Council, he was not running as an incumbent this year.

He finished with 337 votes, just 11 shy of Cowper.

Cowper is currently serving as the city’s mayor, with Segal serving as the mayor pro tem. Both were sworn in at a City Council meeting Dec. 11.

Cowper explained the reason for the delay in learning the results of the election.

“Oakland County, the Board of Canvassers, has to certify the election whenever there’s a write-in,” he said. “They have to look at every write-in name to make sure it’s acceptable and applicable, so it takes time.”

It was not Cowper’s original intention to run as a write-in candidate.

Due to leaving a line on the ballot candidate form blank, Oakland County deemed his form to be invalid.

“Because I failed to fill out that form correctly, then my only alternative was to be a write-in candidate,” Cowper said. “In Luke Cassar’s case, he chose not to run in a formal manner, and then once (he) learned that I was a write-in, he chose to be a write-in, which of course is his prerogative. So originally, I would’ve run unopposed, as Sally did, but my failure to complete that form properly caused me to be a write-in, which is great that we have a write-in avenue. … My intent was to be reelected all along.”

Cassar believes that had he entered the race sooner than he did, the results could have turned out differently.

“There were hundreds of absentee ballots that had already gone out,” he said. “Many of those people that found out that we were running, they would’ve voted for us, but they didn’t know we were in the game. I commend Jim Cowper for his efforts. I hope he intends to do what’s right for the city and watch the budget very closely.”

Cowper also acknowledged Cassar for the campaign that he ran and for working hard to seek reelection.

Although a delay in waiting for election results may cause stress for some, from Cowper’s perspective, he had reason to not be unduly concerned.

“I was confident that City Council had done a very good job in the last four years, and I was confident that the voters would see that,” Cowper said. “Now granted, the results were very close, but that’s the beauty of the system — the voters get to decide. I was confident all along and I’m glad that the voters chose to reelect me.”

Cassar previously served for two terms on the City Council, and from his perspective, his previous experience helped him garner some support among residents.

“The only reason we jumped into the race when we did, which was late, was because people were asking me,” Cassar said. “They felt who was in place now, they were not happy with.”

Along with Cowper and Segal, Feather Buchanan, Ben Clarke and Mike Zubrzycki make up the rest of the Sylvan Lake City Council.

“I feel that the five of us at City Council were highly effective,” Cowper said when asked about what helped him decide to run again. “I think we worked well with the city manager and the residents, and we got a lot of things accomplished. I was looking to continue (with) that team and (with) that momentum.”

Cowper cited being fiscally sound and making sure that the police force has the resources necessary to keep the city safe as the two biggest goals for Sylvan Lake.

“Ultimately, the city’s in pretty good shape,” Cowper said. “I think the five of us work really well together, and I think that is a benefit to the residents as well. We look forward to the residents and voters either coming to City Council meetings or watching them on Civic Center TV. We encourage all the residents to be involved in their city, however they choose.”

Segal did not reply to opportunities to comment.

To view meetings on Civic Center TV, visit civiccentertv.com.