There will be a contested race for mayor in the city of North Battleford.
David Gillan has officially filed his papers to run for mayor as of Wednesday morning.
That means there are now two individuals officially in the race for mayor — incumbent Ryan Bater filed his papers seeking re-election on Tuesday.
Candidates have until Oct. 7 to file their nomination papers and then have a window of 24 hours to withdraw from the ballot.
Should the nominations stand with no withdrawals, North Battleford is likely to have its first contested race for mayor since 2009, when Ian Hamilton defeated former councillor Brad Pattinson and three other candidates. Hamilton’s margin of victory in that race was by just 15 votes.
At press time, there were two candidates for council seats. Matthew Parker has been officially nominated as the first candidate to run for council.
In a candidate profile, Parker described himself as an “advocate for real change in North Battleford. Real change doesn’t start at the top of a city government, it starts in your home. I want to make that easier for you.” He is born and raised in North Battleford and has been active in the community through work as a counsellor in the local schools and through coaching for the local swim club.
Incumbent councillor Kent Lindgren is seeking a second term on council. In an announcement issued Tuesday evening, Lindgren said he has a firm belief in local challenges and issues being dealt with through community created solutions; through his career and extensive local volunteerism, Lindgren strives to address critical underlying problems in the community such as health care, food security, gender equity, Indigenous relations through reconciliation, and supportive housing.
More candidates are expected to throw their hats into the ring before the nomination deadline. The nomination period runs until Oct. 7 and election day is Nov. 9.
The News-Optimist is keeping track of all of the happenings in the municipal election. All candidates are encouraged to contact the News-Optimist to let us know they are running and we can be reached at [email protected].
