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Cassidy wins tight race More than 1,200 voters turn out for Hay River electionJesse Winter and Myles Dolphin Northern News Services Published Monday, Oct 22, 2012
The two-horse race for the town's top job came down to a 94-vote margin on Monday night. "I'm feeling amazing right now," Cassidy said from the comfort of his home in Paradise Gardens. Cassidy took the win with 669 votes over Brian Lefebvre, who received 575. Cassidy said he'd been confident going into the election, but not overly so. "I think that's about what I was expecting," he said. "Everyone I talked to said it was going to be a tight race with two very strong candidates. I wouldn't necessarily say I was feeling comfortable going in, but I'm just happy the margins worked out in my favour." Cassidy said he won't be resting on his laurels after the win. He said his first move as mayor elect would be to meet with town administration on Tuesday morning. "It sounds like we'll have a very strong council, so I'll want to talk with them and go from there. "Brian ran a good campaign and worked hard but I had a very good team around me as well." Lefebvre had rallied his troops at the local bowling alley, where spirits ran high until early results started trickling in. Meanwhile across the street at the Community Hall, volunteer ballot counters worked furiously to sort through 1,244 unspoiled ballots. By 9 p.m. Lefebvre's mood was sombre. "I'm disappointed," he said. "The majority of the voters have spoken and I'm not their choice this time around. I wish Mr. Cassidy all the success." He hinted at the possibility of running again in three years. "I certainly learned a lot and got to chat with many of the great folks in our community and got to hear a lot of their concerns and challenges, and I was ready to go to work for them but I guess this isn't my time to do that and we'll look forward to the next time." Joining an almost entirely new council will be Keith Dohey, its youngest member at 23 years of age. He received 790 votes. "I'm really happy," he said. "I had a great team behind me, and a lot of people helped me out immensely. I tried really hard to do the best that I could in the past month, and it paid off in the end." He says he looks forward to working with other members of council, and is excited to collaborate with a strong group of people. "I ran on the basis that I really wanted to be on council, and I always thought I could contribute," he said. "I'm glad that, at my age, people took me seriously because it was never a joke for me. I'm glad it never got treated that way. I look forward to working with everyone." Roger Candow's first foray into politics was a successful one. The newly elected member of council attributed his 635 votes to the way he campaigned - the old fashioned way. "I went door to door and hit almost 1,000 houses," he said. "I'm glad I got a spot on council and now the work begins. I got out and pounded the pavement and that's what people appreciate. The work will continue now that I'm in." He says he had no expectations coming into election day. "I just wanted to do my best and see what happens. If I get in, great, and if I don't, at least I tried!" Kandis Jameson, with 836 votes, said finishing among the top four vote getters was a humbling experience. "I got lots of support during my campaign and it's great to see how much support you have when it all comes down to it," she said. "It's a good, strong council and I'm very excited." Unofficial results Mayoral race:
Source: Town of Hay River
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