Steve Kim is "feeling positive" but stopping short of declaring victory after hanging on to the eighth Coquitlam council seat by nine votes in Saturday's municipal election.
The 46-year-old was in the lead after the 30th poll was counted, leading nearest challenger Robert Mazzarolo for the final spot.
"It seems I have a flair for the dramatic," Kim told The Tri-City News on Monday. "At this point, we are just waiting for the [official] results."
Kim's hestitation to pop the champagne corks is understandable given his political history.
In the 2013 provincial election, Kim, then a BC Liberal candidate, edged the NDP's Selina Robinson by 105 votes on election night for the Coquitlam-Maillardville riding. However, Robinson ended up taking the seat by 41 votes following a judicial recount.
"Having gone through this before, it is best for me to take it as it comes," he said. "I am waiting patiently."
As the polls were being counted Saturday night, Kim appeared to be comfortably hanging on to the final seat for most of the evening.
However, after 25 out of 30 polls were tallied, he found himself on the outside looking in, with Robert Mazzarolo in the eighth spot. The 26th poll put Kim back above the cut off, where he stayed for the rest of the night.
"It was like that scene in Caddyshack, when the last putt is made and the ball is just lingering there," he said. "It was pretty incredible."
According to Coquitlam's chief election officer Lauren Hewson, the official results will be read out in council chambers Tuesday morning.
