Craig Grice was glad the election was over and was ready to begin work in December as the new Caledonia councillor.
On Nov. 13, he pulled Craig Ashbaugh's chair away from the Haldimand County council table by taking 415 more votes than the incumbent.
Grice, who lives two houses down from the Caledonia housing site occupied by Six Nations persons, said his victory was based on his willingness to listen to concerns of Caledonia residents.
"I'm here for the people of Caledonia," he said.
What Ashbaugh forgot is the people want information, said Grice. He offered kudos to Ashbaugh for his 21 years on council but said a ward councillor should not forget the people he represents. Grice has six years experience of representing constituents as a former Town of Haldimand councillor.
During the campaign, Grice said he found out that people on the other side of town believed people living against the site knew more about occupation and negotiation details. They did not and and were desperate for any bits of information they could get, he said.
Grice said he was supported for his idea to isolate the occupation to get Caledonia to move on to other issues. At the same time, he said he will gather information over the next month in order to take Ashbaugh's place at the land dispute Caledonia liaison table.
Whether the occupation is legal or not, Six Nations will always be Caledonia's neighbour, said Grice. At some point, a time to heal will arrive, he said, and he will work with Marie Trainer and Six Nations leaders on the issue.
Grice said the new council will work as a team. Together they will benefit from the strengths of each and will compensate for the weaknesses of each member, he said. As a councillor, he said he will respect the mayoral and ward choices of county residents.