New Mountain Resort Municipality councillor-elect Brian Gillespie, who narrowly defeated fellow long-time resident Dave Burnham by just seven votes on Saturday, Apr. 5th/via Sun Peaks Independent News

Voters in Sun Peaks have made their choice for the next year and a half.

Brian Gillespie, the long-running manager of Bottom’s Bar and Grill has been elected as the Mountain Resort Municipality’s newest councillor.

It was a close race between himself and fellow Sun Peaks’ mainstay Dave Burnham.

Initial results show Gillespie has taken the seat by 7 votes — 120 to 113.

Katherine Campbell would garner 49 votes, while Alice Muirhead would collect 37.

“I’d like to start by thanking all the other candidates for stepping up and putting themselves out there,” said Gillespie in a statement issued to Radio NL.  “It takes courage and commitment to run, and I’m confident each of them will continue to be active and engaged members of our community.”

“I look forward to hearing their insights in the years to come,” he added, suggesting his intention is to run again in the next municipal elections, which are set for October 2026.

“I’m excited to take this next step and am committed to working hard, listening closely, and making thoughtful decisions that reflect the values and vision of Sun Peaks,” he added.

New mayor to use mentor’s path as guide

While Gillespie prepares to take his seat at the council table in Sun Peaks, the community is also set to begin a path with a new face officially in charge of the council meetings.

Rob O’Toole, the owner/operator of Vertical Cafe, has officially been acclaimed as the new Mayor of Sun Peaks.

“It’s a big set of shoes to step into,” said O’Toole, speaking with Radio NL shortly after the polls closed on Saturday night.

“Ironically tonight [Saturday] my wife Tania and I were attending the Adaptive Sports Sun Peaks banquet, and we sat with Nancy [Greene-Raine] and a few of the Board members,” noted O’Toole.  “We got to talk about Al a lot.”

Rob O’Toole, Mayor-elect of Sun Peaks, following acclamation on Saturday, April 5th in a by-election to replace late Mayor Al Raine/via Facebook

O’Toole takes over the mayor’s chair in Sun Peaks from the late Al Raine, who was the only mayor of the Mountain Resort Municipality since it officially became a corporation in 2010.

While somewhat reluctant to admit it, O’Toole had been tapped by Raine to take on the role of Mayor ahead of the 2022 municipal election.

However, circumstances leading up to the vote prompted O’Toole to run for his council seat, and not the mayor’s chair, which then prompted Raine to take up the mantle once again as the mayor of the community he helped found and codify into legal standing with the provincial government.

Raine only gave up his position as mayor of Sun Peaks in the hours before he died in mid-December.

“I’m starting to shift from being in that ‘nervous’ mode to being more ‘excited,'” said O’Toole, who won’t officially become the mayor of Sun Peaks until April 15th, which is the date of the next scheduled council meeting.

“For me, I feel pretty blessed to pick up the baton from him [Al Raine] and move forward with that.”

Both O’Toole and Gillespie will have to wait a few days to officially take up their new roles.

There is a 5-day window that allows for any competitor in a race to challenge the results.

As such, the next available time for O’Toole and Gillespie to be sworn-in will be April 15th at the next Sun Peaks regular council meeting.