The municipal election in Yorkton was one of drama from the day nominations opened until the final poll results were posted.
It started of course with 24 people stepping forward for the six Councillor seats, and four for the Mayor’s chair. Those are record numbers for our city and showed a definite interest from those running in being part of shaping Yorkton for the next four years, and beyond.
That 28 stepped forward is testament to their individual interest in our shared city, and each of them deserves a hearty thank you for participating in the democratic process in Yorkton. Without people willing to put their names on a ballot, knowing they might lose in a very public way, the system would not work.
And then there was the final drama. It came as the advanced poll results, the final to be counted, swung the vote for Mayor.
Challenger Chris Wyatt had led after the first poll results were counted, and while incumbent Bob Maloney made up ground, after all but the advanced poll results were in, he still trailed. The trend seemed in Wyatt’s favour, but that was not the case, and Maloney was returned by a scant 33-vote margin.
In between the nominations and the vote count, we saw something of an evolution in terms of local campaigning, with social media being a key tool for a number of candidates; including Quinn Haider, Aaron Kienle and Darcy Zaharia. It is not a coincidence that the trio who were so active on social media finished one-two-three in voting for the Councillor positions.
The three led a group of five new faces to Council, along with Mitch Hippsley and Ken Chyz, which signals a rather major change in terms of the experience this time around.
The last Council had a group of six all with near a decade, and some significantly more, on Council. It was a veteran group well-versed in the workings of municipal politics.
But only Randy Goulden is back from along five incumbents who were seeking re-election. Gone now are long-time Councillors Les Arnelien, James Wilson, Larry Pearen, Ross Fisher, and of course Wyatt who had stepped up seeking the Mayor’s job.
Voters clearly wanted change, and the incumbents fell as the votes were cast. But, the quintet also deserves nothing but respect for their efforts on behalf of residents and the City’s future. They all put in countless hours, and while their decisions might not always have been those others would have made, they did what they did because they saw it as the best thing for Yorkton.
As for the newcomers they bring experience in other walks of life and from other organizations they’ve been involved with, there will be a learning curve for this edition of Council, and a sharp one at that as they will be thrust into 2017 budget deliberations within weeks of being sworn in.
There are many tough decisions ahead, and new views to be considered, which should ultimately make for a continued time of high interest in Yorkton Council.
