Revelstoke sees high voter turnout as prelim results show Taha Attiah elected mayor

Revelstoke sees high voter turnout as prelim results show Taha Attiah elected mayor

Published 10:42 pm Saturday, October 17, 2026

Preliminary results are in for the City of Revelstoke’s 2026 general local election and mayoral candidate Taha Attiah has been tentatively declared the community’s new leader for the next four years.

Doors closed at the Revelstoke Community and Aquatic Centre polling station at 8 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17, as election officials took about 90 minutes to finalize counting ballots that decided a tight race for city council.

Shortly before 9:30 p.m., chief election officer Cindy Floyd announced that Attiah had won the mayoral race with 1,338 votes, against incumbent Gary Sulz (1,171 votes) and candidate and incumbent councillor Tim Palmer (620).

Attiah, 37, told Black Press Media on Saturday evening that he was grateful for the preliminary news of his election as mayor.

“I think I’m just really thankful to voters who participated and put their trust in me,” he said, taking a break from a pizza party with his spouse Sarah and four-month-old child. “An informed community is a great thing to start off with.”

He also acknowledged Sulz and Palmer for their service as Revelstoke mayor and councillor, respectively. Sulz served two consecutive mayoral terms.

Now, “we’re starting on a fresh page with a fresh discussion,” Attiah said.

Attiah serves as general manager of the Revelstoke Community Housing Society, but said he intends to step back from the role over the coming weeks as he takes on his new office at city hall.

“I still have a lot to offer in non-market housing,” he noted, adding that his experience in economic development and other areas will be a “huge asset” to the community.

Among Attiah’s first priorities as mayor once Revelstoke’s newly-elected government is sworn in will be engaging other newly-elected resort municipality mayors in B.C. via the Resort Community Collaborative, to petition the province to implement a provincial levee for tourists.

Floyd also shared that Robyn Goldsmith (2,196 votes), Brenda DeMone (1,876), Sarah Erikson (1,625) and incumbent councillors Lee Devlin (1,557), Austin Luciow (1,512) and Aaron Orlando (1,454) have been tentatively voted in as Revelstoke’s next city council.

Counts for the remainder of council candidates was 1,383 votes for incumbent councillor Tim Stapenhurst, 1,381 for incumbent Matt Cherry, 1,377 for Jamie Hobgood, 630 for Bishop Carasquero and 436 for Brian Trafford.

“Great candidates across the board,” Attiah remarked about everyone who ran for mayor and council this election.

He also spoke to the gender and ethnic diversity that he and his new council represent, which will follow Revelstoke’s previous all-male council.

“I think it really shows that Revelstoke was ready for a change,” Attiah reflected. “I’m really glad that Revelstoke chose that diversity of perspectives to move things forward.”

From the school trustee race, incumbent Wendy Rota (1,976 votes), Joanne Gawler (1,698), Lisa Moore (1,679) and incumbents Alan Chell (1,631) and Jodie Allen (1,494) have been tentatively elected to represent School District 19. Incumbent trustee Sasha Walsh received 1,455 votes.

Saturday saw high voter turnout in Revelstoke compared with previous municipal elections. A total 3,233 ballots were cast, including 1,512 advance votes. That represents approximately 47 per cent of some 6,825 eligible local voters.

In the 2022 general local election, only 30 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot, down from 46 per cent in 2018.

Final election results for Revelstoke will be confirmed and announced by Wednesday, Oct. 21, at 4 p.m., Floyd said.