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www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver, Friday October 12, 2007 - 3 GRAHAM PAINE / OAKVILLE BEAVER WHERE BEAUTY MEETS COMFORT... Come see our new & exciting fireplace designs now available for the upcoming season VICTORY KISS: Halton PC candidate Ted Chudleigh gets a congratulatory kiss from wife Sandy as some of his supporters cheer at a victory party celebration. Chudleigh wins see-saw battle Continued from page 1 watch the results pour in at a painstakingly slow pace. While there were some points when Zemlak pulled ahead at the polls, the crowd of about 40 to 50 and the long-time MPP seemed to stay positive while holding out for the last crucial ballots to be counted in what's usually a Tory stronghold. "A nail-biter is what makes elections so exciting," Chudleigh noted. "I never actually thought I'd be involved in one." Chudleigh handily won the past two elections -- by about 5,500 votes in 2003 and more than 18,500 votes in 1999 -- but said he wasn't surprised the polls were so close this time around, noting he knew the PC policies weren't attracting voters. "The provincial campaign has an effect on you locally," he said. "It drained off a lot of votes." Cheers and shouts of "Come on, Ted!" rang out during the night each time Chudleigh pulled into the lead in the amazingly tight race. A large screen that showed the results as they came in reminded people that "Every Vote Does Count." By around midnight, Chudleigh addressed the group that still remained at The Post Office. He extensively thanked his campaign volunteers and his wife, Sandy, who he said was with him every step of the way when he was door-knocking. "You people have made this campaign really, really enjoyable," he remarked. He also recognized the support he received from the local ethnic community. Now that Chudleigh is in for another term, he said his focus will be on the need to expand and build new hospitals in growth areas like Halton, particularly in Milton. The Tory has been serving as the local MPP since 1995. His private career was spent in the food and agricultural industry, having worked for the Ministry of Agriculture, several private companies and an IGA store as the owner/operator. He's a married father of three children and seven grandchildren. · Custom Stone Mantels · Licensed Gas Fitters Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10-5, Sat. 10-4 3585 Laird Rd., Unit 2 905.569.2404 www.ontariohearth.com New Works by C.A. HENRY October 13-21 Zemlak comes close in Halton By Steve LeBlanc SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER It was difficult to say if the light-hearted exchange helped ease Gary Zemlak's tension or further fueled it. Around 12:40 a.m. yesterday -- with the Hardball Café's original crowd severely thinned out and exhaustion starting to set in -- one supporter suggested it was `fun' to see such a tight race after a number of decisive ones. Still immersed in wait-andsee mode, which would last another hour, Halton's Liberal flag bearer didn't quite share that viewpoint. "I'm not sure I like your definition of fun," quipped the anxious candidate. It was an all-too-appropriate response for a roller-coaster Gary Zemlak night in which the Campbellville entrepreneur -- who'd worked on a number of political campaigns, but never as the one on the ballot -- provided longtime Tory incumbent Ted Chudleigh with his stiffest challenge to date. In fact, that could be considered something of an understatement, given that Zemlak led for sizeable portions of the see-saw battle before slipping back down the stretch -- falling heartbreakingly short of being swept along in another Liberal red tide. "I've worked on a lot of campaigns, but never anything like this before," he said of what proved to be one of Ontario's closest contests, with the lead changing hands at least half-adozen times before it was all said and done. "Oh I feel good. We gave him (Chudleigh) a real run for his money." Still holding out hope of dethroning the veteran PC as the final polls slowly trickled in, Zemlak looked back on his campaign with an overall posi Artist's Reception Saturday, October 13 ­ 5:30-8:00 pm For details call 905-339-0013 or visit www.galleryrufus.com 100 Bronte Road, #8 Oakville ON L6L 6L5 905-339-0013 See First page 5