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“The reason we came to victory is because of the type of ideas we espoused,” he said. “That is why we won this election.”

The race was tight throughout the night. Menard, with 28 per cent of the vote, beat second-place Christine McAllister, a business woman and former head of the Glebe Community Association, by fewer than 400 votes.

Incumbent Chernushenko finished in third place with just over 23 per cent of the vote.

Chernuschenko said he was disappointed but knew he faced tough competition. In 2014, he won the ward with 77 per cent of the vote.

“I could see right from the outset that I faced really strong campaigns. I upped my game like I never have before. I had incredible people, and the feedback was great. So frankly, I am very surprised.”

He advised Menard to “listen to all opinions” and reach out to other councillors. “If you want to win anything with this council, you’ve got to find a way to work with people with whom you may not have as much in common as you’d like.”

The campaign featured five strong contenders for the councillor’s job, including former Green Party member Chernushenko and his challengers, two of whom were endorsed by sitting politicians from two major parties.

Former public school board trustee Menard was endorsed by NDP MPP Joel Harden as well as by former federal NDP MP Paul Dewar; McAllister was endorsed by Liberal MP Catherine McKenna.

Two other strong challengers vied for the seat: Anthony Carricato, a policy analyst and House of Commons Speaker’s staffer; and lawyer/negotiator Jide Afolabi.