SUCCESS: Alex Walker takes a moment to reflect on her election to a first term as Central Hawke's Bay mayor. She succeeds Peter Butler who did not stand for re-election. PHOTO/PAUL TAYLOR
Today's local body election result is a resounding victory for CHB mayoral candidate Alex Walker, who in the preliminary count has come in with about twice the vote of rival Sally Butler.
In the district council count just in Alex Walker recorded 3.196 votes, followed by incumbent councillor Sally Butler
at 1,475 votes, and Gerard Pain 604.
So far in the Aramoana-Ruahine ward, there has been a complete clean-out of the incumbents Maitland Manning and Mark Williams.
The four seats have so far been taken by Tim Aitken, 1,515 votes, David Tennent, 1,204, Brent Muggeridge, 1,202 and Shelley Burne-Field, 979.
The next highest polling candidate so far is Maitland Manning with 754 votes.
In the Ruataniwha urban ward, incumbent Kelly Annand has retained her spot with 1,671 votes, as has Ian Sharp, 1,477.
