With nominations set to close in less than a week, six candidates have now come forward seeking positions on Battleford town council.
One of them is Councillor David George, but he isn’t seeking re-election to that position.
Instead, George has filed his nomination papers this week to run for mayor, the first candidate to officially enter that race.
George works as a financial planner and is active in the sports community in the Battlefords as a referee and umpire. He has been on Battleford town council for 16 years.
As of early Thursday afternoon, George was the only candidate who had officially filed papers to run to replace outgoing mayor Derek Mahon, who announced this spring he was not seeking re-election.
Three others had also filed nominations to run for council seats. Incumbent councillor Gordon Yarde, whose background includes work as a psychiatric nurse as well as in social services at North Battleford Youth Centre, is running again. Yarde is the longest-serving member of the current council, having served on and off council since 1985.
Also filing is Doug Laing, a business development manager. If re-elected it would be Laing’s second term on council.
Also officially in the race is Kevin Russell, a sales representative at Valley Ford. Russell is the first non-incumbent to file nomination papers to run in Battleford.
By Friday afternoon two more candidates were in the race for council: one is Judy Pruden, a confidential secretary for Prairie North Health Region.
Also running is two-term incumbent councillor Susan McLean Tady. She received the most votes in the 2012 council race.
There are six council positions to be filled in total, and plenty of time before nominations close on the afternoon of Sept. 21.
In North Battleford, things were still off to a slow start in that race, possibly due to the surprise announcement Monday by Mayor Ian Hamilton that he is not seeking the mayor’s chair again.
As of early Thursday afternoon, there were still no candidates officially in the race for mayor of North Battleford, but that changed Friday when Ryan Bater officially filed papers to run for mayor -- the first candidate to enter that race.
Three incumbent councillors have filed nomination papers this week for re-election to council and they include Don Buglas, who is seeking his fifth term, and Kelli Hawtin, who is seeking her second term after winning a 2014 byelection.
The third candidate to file papers is Greg Lightfoot, who is running for a second term after winning a council seat in the 2012 vote.
