North Battleford residents have put the stamp of approval on Mayor Ian Hamilton's leadership.
The man who claimed the seat by 15 votes among a field of five candidates in the previous civic election has been elected to a second term by acclamation.
Hamilton's first term wasn't without controversy. The state of the downtown core is a perennial issue, and the mayor and council were thwarted more than once in their attempts to force services, such as a medical clinic, to locate downtown.
Not all residents have been in favour of an increased recreation fee to finance the new CUPlex and there are always concerns about aging infrastructure. Recently problems with the new traffic bylaw have surfaced, and it seems council may have to backpedal on some regulations pertaining to truck traffic through the city.
In spite of these issues and others, having no other candidate come forward to lead the city gives Hamilton a gold seal of approval.
His leadership of the City is now beyond question, and he now has a mandate to move ahead with tackling the major issues, including two areas he has said will be priorities in the coming term: public safety and downtown revitalization.
There is also no contest for mayor across the river in Battleford. Veteran councillor Derek Mahon came forward early in the nomination process to let his name stand for the position. Chris Odishaw, after two terms at the helm of town council, announced his intention to step aside several months ago.
Mahon won't be seeing many familiar faces from the previous council around the table however. For various reasons Bill Halewich, Cameron Duncan, Garth Walls and Donna Lavin have chosen not to seek reelection. The only incumbent on the ballot as of Thursday morning was Susan McLean-Tady, who has served one term.
Two former councilors are trying to return to council: Gordon Yarde and David George. Otherwise, the rest of the candidates would be new to the job if the were elected, making it guaranteed that at least half of the town council seats will be occupied by newcomers, and entirely possible the entire council will be made of people who have never served there before.
A dozen candidates have again lined up for council seats in North Battleford. Incumbents Ron Crush, Don Buglas, Ray Fox, Grace Lang and Trent Houk are among those who filed nomination papers.
So, even though the mayor's race is less than exciting, there appears to be many individuals interested in contributing to the governance of their communities. Congratulations to all those who have come forward.
The campaign leading up to the Oct. 24 vote should be an interesting one.
