The year 2016 will be remembered for, among other things, momentous election results all around the world.
The "Brexit" referendum in the U.K., in which the British electorate voted to leave the European Union, resulted in the resignation of their prime minister David Cameron. There was more upheaval in the fall when Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election.
Columnist Brian Zinchuk was involved in covering the U.S. election in 2016. He went to Bismarck, N.D. and there, at a news conference in which he directly asked Trump about Keystone XL, with Trump responding in favour of the project.
But as tumultuous and surprising as the U.S. race turned out to be, it was also a big political year locally as Battlefords and area voters went to the ballot boxes twice.
First up was the 2016 provincial election. Locally, the nominated candidates were Josh Hunt of the Green Party, Dexter Gopher of the Liberals, Rob Feist of the NDP and incumbent, Herb Cox of the Saskatchewan Party.
The party leaders all made stops in the Battlefords during the run up to and during the campaign period. NDP leader Cam Broten was in North Battleford for the joint nomination meeting to nominate Feist in the Battlefords as well as former Battlefords News-Optimist contributor Danica Lorer in Cut Knife-Turtleford. Broten also showed up during the campaign period.
Premier Brad Wall made a brief campaign appearance in the Battlefords during the election. Liberal leader Darrin Lamoureux appeared at an event in Battleford to launch the party's First Nations platform.
In the end, the Saskatchewan Party swept the province again on election day, April 4, winning 51 seats to the NDP's 10. The party had a clean sweep of Northwest-area seats. Herb Cox easily won the Battlefords, but even bigger wins were recorded next door by Larry Doke (Cut Knife-Turtleford), Randy Weekes (Biggar-Saskatchewan Valley) and Scott Moe (Rosthern-Shellbrook).
In the fall, municipal governments and school boards were up for election. But it was a fairly low-key election in many area communities, with acclamations common.
The most activity in the North Battleford election was in the run up to nomination day as candidates filed their papers.
The big surprise was the decision by Mayor Ian Hamilton to not run again, despite previously indicating his intentions to do so.
Within days, Councillor Ryan Bater filed his nomination papers to run for mayor. When nominations closed, Bater was the only candidate and the winner of the mayor's race by acclamation.
The council race proved hotly contested with 15 candidates vying for six seats. In the end, when results were counted Oct. 26, three incumbents — Kelli Hawtin, Greg Lightfoot and Don Buglas — were joined by three new members of council — Kevin Steinborn, Len Taylor and Kent Lindgren. It was Lindgren who claimed the last seat on council by a few votes over incumbent Cathy Richardson.
Over in Battleford, it was Ames Leslie who defeated David George in the mayor's race there in a battle of two incumbent councillors. Leslie took over from Derek Mahon who did not run for reelection.
In the eight-person council race, both Judy Pruden and Kevin Russell were newly elected, joining incumbents Susan McLean-Tady, Shelley Boutin-Gervais, Doug Laing and Gordon Yarde on the next council.
