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Pam Damoff first Oakville North-Burlington MP by Julia Le Oakville Beaver Staff 5 | Thursday, October 22, 2015 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com The race was neck-and-neck between the Liberals and Conservatives in Oakville North-Burlington for most of Monday night, but it was Pam Damoff who crossed the finish line to claim the victory. With three polls left to report, Damoff was leading by nearly 2,400 votes. Surrounded by 200 of her supporters at Tin Cup in Burlington, the Oakville Ward 2 councillor, who will have to step down from her town council seat, told the crowd it was an unbelievable and surreal moment for her to become the MP of the new Oakville NorthBurlington riding. "We worked so hard for so long," she said, using the analogy of rowing to describe her team's mentality during one of the longest federal election races. Damoff said her team pulled together to deliver the win. "Our mantra throughout this campaign has been keeping our head in the boat and we did that and we ran a positive campaign the whole time and with all those paddles pulling at the same time... you could just feel the surge," she described. With a raspy voice, and through tears, she thanked her family, her campaign team and supporters for rallying behind her and Liberal Pam Damoff was elected the first MP of the new Oakville North-Burlington riding. Pictured here, Damoff thanks her son Fraser during her victory speech. | photo by Nikki Wesley ­ Oakville Beaver (Follow on Twitter @halton_photog or Facebook.com/HaltonPhotog) encouraging her throughout the race. Damoff led the race throughout the night, but by a small margin of a few hundred early in the evening. The gap widened just after 10:30 p.m., with Damoff arriving at her party shortly after 11 p.m. to an eruption of cheers. She spent the majority of the time hugging all of her supporters. After addressing the crowd and being presented with a paddle from her campaign team for her leadership, she told the Oakville Beaver in a one-on-one interview that she was speechless. "It's always about the people around you and I have the most incredible, hard-working team that anyone can ask for," she said, her voice shaking and eyes watering. She said the campaign has been a "really good time." Damoff noted she's still trying to "absorb it all," but she's looking forward to stepping into the MP role and delivering on some of her campaign promises, which include creating partnerships between all levels of government. "That's probably what I'd like to see, working with provincial counterparts, the municipal counterparts and really starting to bring positive things to Oakville and Burlington," she said, adding she'd love to work with her newly-elected colleagues Oakville MP John Oliver and Burlington MP Karina Gould. "I'd love to see the investment in public transit, that is something I'll be pushing for," she noted. On leaving her position as an Oakville town councillor, she said it's a bittersweet moment for her. see Damoff's on p.11 Certified Auto Glass Technicians with 22 years of experience All windshield,door & back glass in stock INJURED? I Can Help! YOU DON'T HAVE TO PAY UNLESS I GET YOU MONEY My team of experienced lawyers can help you with: · Car accidents · Slip and Falls · Disability Claims (Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, CPP) · Wrongful Dismissal OFFICES IN OAKVILLE AND TORONTO For a free consultation call: Oakville: 905.842.2022 or Toronto: 416.351.9222 email: sspadafora@slspc.ca PLATINUM We pay up to 100% of insurance Deductible · We deal directly with your Insurance Company · Life time Warranty against leaks · Stone chip repairs · Free Mobile Service · Free Pickup & Drop OFF f f O % 5 2 ase re Purch Your Enti ly n o ! this adRoad ith Speers 281 w 15 Nov. 7, 20 Oakville Offer ends ON Applies to h be Wy W ye th ec ay cr W ro of ay ft tR Rd d d rs n this a Mentio dshield wipe in w e dels e o r F m t d n ake a and ge most m 905.339.0339 905.339.0339 1.855.339.0339 1.855.339.0339 281 Speers Road, Oakville www.speersautoglass.ca be t Ke rr iza St . n Do rv www.speersautoglass.ca Sp ee rs al Dr RoSp ad e e Qu ee W rs al Dr El rr iza Ro Do rv Ke St . Sam Spadafora Injury and Employment Law ee n El Qu ad