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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
Yellowknife voters have spoken and Mark Heyck will soon become the city's 14th mayor.

Mark Heyck hugs his mother Monday night. He will become Yellowknife's 14th mayor - 2012 Yellowknife municipal election results Voter turnout: 49 per cent (same as 2009) Number of eligible voters: 8,772 Number who cast ballots: 4,289 Mayoral candidates: Mark Heyck - 2,008 votes Tim Doyle - 1,465 (not elected) Paul Falvo - 816 (not elected) Council candidates: Dan Wong - 2,689 votes Adrian Bell - 2,531 Niels Konge - 2,418 Rebecca Alty - 2,280 Bob Brooks - 2,255 Phil Moon Son - 2,249 Cory Vanthuyne - 2,166 Linda Bussey - 2,108 Amanda Mallon - 1,938 (not elected) Lydia Bardak - 1,823 (not elected) Beaton MacKenzie - 1,047 (not elected) Ian Mathers - 940 (not elected) Source: City of Yellowknife

Heyck took an early lead during Monday's municipal election and neither of his opponents was able to catch up. The final tally saw Heyck prevail with a commanding vote count of 2,008, while self-proclaimed candidate for change Tim Doyle finished in second place with 1,465 votes.

The gamble didn't pay off for Paul Falvo, who risked his spot on council in his bid to become mayor, as he finished third with 816 votes.

"I feel very excited and honoured and humbled with the support the public showed," said Heyck shortly after arriving at city hall Monday night to acknowledge his victory.

"I think it was a great opportunity, the elections always are, to bring up some important issues that are of concern to the city and I think we have some things to work on at city hall but I'm looking forward to leading that effort as mayor."

Doyle told Yellowknifer that, while he was disappointed with Monday night's results, he learned a lot from Yellowknife voters along the way, especially while going door to door.

"If you look at the number of votes my team picked up, it was roughly the amount who vote 'no' on the Con Mine geothermal project," said Doyle.

"There are some clear voices out there who have said 'no' and whoever the mayor and council is, they are going to have to pay attention to that."

Doyle said he felt his campaign picked up momentum later in the campaign, and "if we had had a couple more weeks, you may have seen very different results."

Falvo also put in an appearance at city hall, even after it became clear he would finish a distant third place.

"I think Mark's going to do an awesome job and I think Tim raised some really important issues that will need to be paid attention to going forward," he told Yellowknifer. "I'm going to get Monday evenings off now but I'm not going anywhere."

Heyck, who will officially become mayor at a swearing-in ceremony at noon Nov. 5 in city hall, gathered with about 10 family members, friends and volunteers at his campaign office at 48 Street and 49 Avenue Monday night to watch the results come in.

Within an hour of the polls closing at 8 p.m., the relief and excitement in the room was palpable, although some Heyck supporters were surprised at the results.

"I'm surprised that Tim looks like he is consistently in second place because the sense I got was that it was really going to be a battle between Mark and Paul," commented volunteer Eli Purchase, who helped out with posting Heyck's signs and delivering flyers.

Outgoing councillor Shelagh Montgomery said she was relieved with the results, given the tone some of the campaign had taken last week with respect to Doyle's strong language concerning the city's senior administrative officer Bob Long at a mayoral forum last week.

"I think it is unfortunate the tone that some candidates have taken against city hall," said Montgomery, who noted she has worked with Heyck for two terms.

"I have been at city hall for six years. A lot of the personal allegations about staff is really unprofessional and totally uncalled for."

Voters seemed to like what many first-time council candidates had to say during the campaign because two of the four incumbent candidates were pushed aside for some new blood.

Dan Wong, running in his first council campaign and second political campaign in Yellowknife, received the most votes of any council candidate, which he said caught him by surprise.

"I was one of the top candidates but I had the top team," he said. "I've wanted this for a long time and I'm ready for this. So, it's really been a natural progression to get to this point from that 18-year-old - from that kid who wanted to be MLA.

"I think Yellowknife has spoken loudly that there's a mean green streak running through this city. People are not happy with the cost of living here and, you know, they want a safer and a cleaner downtown."

Joining Wong as newcomers to council are Adrian Bell, Niels Konge, Rebecca Alty, Phil Moon Son and Linda Bussey. Incumbent Bob Brooks won a seventh term on council, finishing fifth, while Cory Vanthuyne hung on to seventh place for a second term.

Coun. Amanda Mallon and Lydia Bardak came in ninth and tenth place, respectively, while Beaton MacKenzie and Ian Mathers received the least amount of votes.

- With files from Simon Whitehouse

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