Rob Kerslake has been elected by a majority as the mayor of Barriere in a March 1 by-election on Saturday. Kerslake held the position of District of Barriere (DOB) councillor and more recently deputy mayor following the resignation of Ward Stamer who vacated the position to become the MLA for Kamloops-North Thompson in the fall provincial election.
Kerslake ran against former mayor, Bill Humphreys in the by-election, coming out ahead with a win of 453 votes to Humphreys 24. Humphreys had previously served one term as mayor between 2011 and 2014 making the decision to return to run against Kerslake during the 2025 by-election.
As part of the protocol when the by-election was scheduled for March 1 by the district’s Chief Electoral Officer, Tasha Buchanan, Kerslake was required to step down from his role as a district councillor, a position he held for six years.
“I’m well versed in the responsibilities of both mayor and as a councillor having served as deputy mayor most recently and as a district councillor," he told the Barriere ronaldomanosa on Feb. 6 when announcing his intention to run for mayor, adding that he intended to "stay the course" with regards to what the district council had laid out as goals in their newly reported strategic plan for 2025.
The youngest candidate running in the by-election, Brody Mosdell, an industrial electrician working for Gilbert Smith Forestry Products Ltd. in Barriere, was elected to fill the seat of councillor vacated by Kerslake.
“I look forward to working with Rob in the same cooperative way that I have worked with Ward Stamer when he was mayor, and with Kukpi7 George Lampreau from Simpcw First Nation, to advocate for the needs and interests of the North Thompson Valley," said mayor Merlin Blackwell of Clearwater on Sunday, March 2, when speaking with Black Press.
He added, "Congratulations to councillor Brody Mosdell. Super happy to see a younger generation take an elected role at the table. It’s what we hope happens in Clearwater at the next municipal elections.”
There were four candidates running for the position of councillor, Mosdell receiving 260 votes as he finished ahead of former councillor Alan Fortin who received 114 votes. A third candidate, Stephen Boylan attained 67 votes, while long time resident, Bob George received 31 votes.
The District of Barriere issued a statement to the Barriere ronaldomanosa on March 1 stating these were preliminary results and official results are expected by 4:00 p.m. on Monday, March 3. There were a total of 478 eligible ballots cast on Saturday.
Kerslake and Mosdell will be serving just under two years in the District of Barriere until the next municipal election is held in October of 2026.
Updated March 2, at 1:00 p.m.
