The council races in North Battleford and Battleford may have been sedate, but that was not the case in other cities.
Several cities across Saskatchewan saw big changes at the top, none bigger than in Saskatoon which saw long-time city councillor Charlie Clark topple the city’s longest-serving mayor, Don Atchison.
Unofficial returns showed Clark received 32,565 to Atchison’s 29,518. Challenger Kelley Moore finished third with 17,381 and Devon Hein brought up the rear with 548.
Clark had been trailing Atchison in polls prior to the election. But his victory was widely credited to a major push by his team in the final days prior to the vote, combined with the sinking fortunes of Moore’s campaign in the late going.
Also boosting Clark’s chances was a last-minute endorsement by none other than actor Zach Galifianakis of The Hangover fame.
It turns out Galifianakis had a family connection to the candidate, as he is married to one of Clark’s cousins.
There was also an upset in the council races there, with longtime incumbent and former NDP provincial cabinet minister Pat Lorje losing in Ward Two to Hilary Gough.
Another upset took place in Moose Jaw, where first-term incumbent mayor Deb Higgins, also a former provincial NDP cabinet minister, lost to Fraser Tolmie by a wide margin in a five-person contest.
A major surprise took place in Weyburn, where incumbent mayor Deb Button, well-known as president of the Saskatchewan Urban Municipalities Association representing municipalities across the province, lost the mayor’s race to Marcel Roy.
Some communities had no incumbents running for mayor. In Lloydminster, Gerald Aalbers was an easy winner over Jason Whiting and Cheryl Ross in that race.
Also getting a new mayor is Swift Current where Denis Perrault defeated two challengers in a race with no incumbent running.
Other communities saw incumbent mayors returned to office.
Among the winning returning mayors are Greg Dionne in Prince Albert, Roy Ludwig in Estevan, Bob Maloney in Yorkton, and Michael Fougere in Regina.
Fougere had an especially easy time winning a second term with over 70 per cent of the vote. His closest competitor Tony Fiacco, brother of former mayor Pat Fiacco, finished way behind with just over 11 per cent.
