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It is the dawn of a new era for the residents in the Florenceville-Bristol area.

With a newly-formed town means a new council, and a veteran mayor will take the helm as the town's first official mayor.

Incumbent Bristol Mayor Darrell Giggie defeated Paul Roy 467 to 165 votes to become the first mayor for the Town of Florenceville-Bristol.

Giggie said he is pleased to be a part of this momentous occasion.

"It feels good," said Giggie, who brings 22 years of experience as mayor of Bristol to the table.

"I have been at this for 10 years trying to get this amalgamation, and finally it went through. Now it is behind us."

Giggie said he can hardly wait to assume his new role, and he sees a bright future for Florenceville-Bristol. He added he wants to put the town on the map.

"I would like to see growth," he said. "I would like to see more business and more residential (development). I also want to see what I have for a council and see where they would like to go. We will see what their vision is, and we'll sit down probably later this week for a casual meeting to see where everybody wants to go."

Giggie added he is looking forward to working with the other council members who will lead the community into the future.

The town's mayor will have some experience joining him at the new council table.

In Ward 2, Florenceville incumbents Susan Bushby and Joyce Trafford return with the majority of votes, 202 and 187 respectively. The final seat went to incumbent Nancy Whyte-McCauley, who narrowly edged out newcomers Larry Flemming and Gordon Phippen in a tight race. It was Whyte-McCauley at 158, Flemming with 154 and Phippen with 133.

In Ward 1, Bristol incumbent Karl Curtis dominated with 281 votes, while incumbent Laurel Bradstreet picked up 257 votes. Rookie Duska Curtis rounded out the new council with a 61-vote majority over candidate Iain Dunlop, 236 to 175.

The new mayor and council will now take their place in Carleton County history, and Giggie said he is pleased to see some familiar faces joining him. He is looking forward to working with the newly-elected councillors, he said, and getting down to business.

"I can work with anyone," added Giggie. "Hopefully, we will all get on the same page right off the bat."