Features  Front Page News Desk News Briefs News Summaries Columnists Sports Editorial Arctic arts Readers comment Find a job Tenders Classifieds Subscriptions Market reports Handy Links Best of Bush Visitors guides Obituaries Feature Issues Advertising Contacts Today's weather Leave a message
|
.
New mayors in Smith, Norman Wells & Hay River
Elizabeth McMillan/Katie May/Paul Bickford Northern News Services Published Monday, October 19, 2009
In Norman Wells, Dudley Johnson earned 67 per cent of the vote to become mayor there for a three-year term. Meanwhile, in Hay River, 34-year-old Kelly Schofield - the youngest candidate for mayor and a political newcomer - collected 577 votes to edge former councillor and previous mayoral candidate Peter Maher, who collected 551 votes.
Johnson received 204 votes in Norman Wells, winning the title over his two opponents, Tim Melnyk and Sarranda "Sam" Kivi, who received 88 votes and 9 votes, respectively. Roughly 67 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots in the election, compared with an approximate 74 per cent voter turnout in the 2006 municipal election. Two new councillors - Bob Greek and Darrell McGregor - were elected to town council along with incumbents Frank Pope, Craig Scott and Edward Sheppard. Johnson said he was a bit surprised to be declared the winner because, having lived in Norman Wells nine years, he is a relative newcomer to the town. "I believe that the community wanted change and that I presented a platform that appealed to them, especially to the young voters," he said Monday night, taking a break from celebrating with supporters in the Rayuka Inn's Refinery Dining Room shortly after the results were announced around 10 p.m. His first priorities as mayor will be looking into alternative energy sources and pushing for completion of the highway down the Mackenzie Valley from Norman Wells to Wrigley. "We know that we're on borrowed time with Esso and the amount of gas they can produce, so we've got to look at all options when it comes to finding an alternate energy source. Now, what will play a big role in this is whether the pipeline goes through or not," Johnson said. "If the pipeline goes through then our natural gas source problem will be solved." Both of his opponents ran respectable campaigns, Johnson said, adding he was looking forward to serving the people of Norman Wells. "There were no personal attacks. They were straightforward, presented the issues, and I was quite pleased with the respect that each candidate showed each other," he said. "I would like to thank the residents of Norman Wells for supporting me and to wish my opponents the best. You put up a good fight and I have a lot of respect for people who put themselves up for public office." Decisive win in Fort Smith Hobart garnered 709 votes to Brad Brake's 167. He was her only competitor. "Ecstatic would probably be an understatement," Hobart said after hearing the unofficial results. "I'm thrilled. It's humbling to get so many votes." She will be joined by many new councillors as Brenda Johnson was the only incumbent returned to office. Hobart is the first woman to hold the office in Fort Smith. "It's exciting," she said. "I've had many strong women as role models and I believe it's important that both genders be recognized on council." Brake said it was a polite race and he only regretted being sidetracked by illness in the last week of campaigning. He said he didn't think the illness had a big effect on the results but he said it did make it difficult for him to campaign. Brake missed the candidates forum after consulting with health professionals who recommended he stay at home due to his flu-like symptoms. "It's a good win. I look forward to seeing her in the mayor's seat," said Brake. "It's a clear mandate and I think she'll do a good job." He might not have been the only one feeling under the weather. With a 59 per cent voter turn out, the town's returning officer said numbers were down from past years. She attributed the shift to the number of people in town who are sick "We're slammed pretty hard with the flu," said Margo Harney. Seventeen people were running for eight town council positions. Ron Holtorf, Brenda Johnson, Christian Westwell, Brad A. Marta, Kevin Smith, Claudette James, Bernie Minute and Sheila Sauteur-Chadwick were elected. Johnson acted as a whistle blower when she publicly criticized the town's quiet dismissal of former senior administrative officer Roy Scott, who received severance package that has stirred much controversy. Hobart said the voting pattern showed people were looking for a change. "The message is they want a council that is more open," she said. "They want to see how the decision-making is happening. That'll be the challenge, to make sure people are part of the consultation process." She said one of the first orders of business will be training and orientation for new councillors and beginning work on a new strategic plan for the town. New Mayor in Hay River Kelly Schofield admits some people in Hay River doubt he is up for the job as mayor. However, the 34-year-old Schofield - the youngest candidate for mayor and a political newcomer - won the position anyway in the Oct. 19 municipal election. "There's a lot of people out there that don't think I could do the job," he said. "I'm just going to have to prove them wrong." Schofield collected 577 votes to edge former councillor and previous mayoral candidate Peter Maher, who collected 551 votes. The third candidate for mayor, Coun. Sandra Lester, trailed with 169 votes. Schofield, who owns and operates a hotel with his wife, said he was the underdog doing into the election, adding he believed he was a close second to Maher. However, Schofield said he had a good feeling about his chances based on the word on the street. "It's heartwarming there are so many people in town who believe in me," he said. The soon-to-be mayor said the tipping point may have come during the candidates' forum when he dealt with concerns some people may have had about his relatively minor run-ins with the law when he was younger. When he is sworn in, Schofield will replace Mayor Jean-Marc Miltenberger, who did not run again after winning a by-election 18 months ago. Schofield said people in Hay River want a change. However, the desire for change didn't extend to the election of councillors. All four councillors seeking re-election were returned to office. In fact, those four - Kevin Wallington, Ken Latour, Mike Maher and Dawna O'Brien - were the top vote-getters. The four new councillors will be Andrew Cassidy, Bernard William Langille, Reiss Kruger and Bernard Dueck. Kruger, at just 18, will be the youngest new councillor. The election count in Hay River began at 7 p.m. on Oct. 19, but did not conclude until about 8 a.m. the next morning. Fort Smith mayoral race: E - Janie Hobart: 709 Brad Brake: 167 E - Ron Holtorf, - (554) E - Brenda Johnson (I) - (514) E - Christian Westwell (481) E - Brad A. Marta (462) E - Kevin Smith (451) E - Claudette James (441) E - Bernie Minute (406) E - Sheila Sauteur-Chadwick (376) Toni Heron (375) Grant Paziuk (309) Fred Daniels (294) Beckie Linaker (I) (292) Arliss Arbeau (248) Tim McDonald (I) (232) Pat Burke (I) (194) Simon Haaima (185) Don Matthews Jr. (122) (E - elected, I - incumbent) Fact File: Norman Wells mayoral race E - Dudley Johnson - 204 votes Timothy Melnyk - 88 votes Sarranda "Sam" Kivi - 9 votes Norman Wells town council: E - Frank Pope - 124 votes E - Craig Scott - 122 votes E - Darrell McGregor - 113 votes E - Edward Sheppard - 106 votes E - Bob Greek - 99 votes Laurel McDonald - 96 votes Andrew Bailes - 79 votes Sherry Hodgson - 75 votes Donna Schear - 72 votes Billy Ozolins - 57 votes Darrel (Mop) Miller - 55 votes Mandi McDonald - 44 votes Election by the numbers Here are the votes for candidates in Hay River during the Oct. 19 election for mayor, councillors and members of the district education authority.
Mayor:
E - Kelly James Schofield - 577
Council (eight seats):
Elected:
Other council candidates Hay River District Education Authority (seven seats):
Elected:
Not elected
| ||||||||||||||||
