Yorkton voters trekked to the polls today amid fresh snow and a cold breeze knowing they would be electing a new mayor.
Long-time municipal head Bob Maloney announced weeks ago he was stepping away from Council and would not seek re-election, opening the door to the two hopefuls, both looking to take a seat in the big chair after a single term as Councillor.
And tonight, as the ballots were cast, Mitch Hippsley emerged as the new mayor, based on 2000 votes, bettering Aaron Kienle who finished with 1914 votes.
Hippsley had led by a scant few votes after the initial ballot machine totals were announced, only to see Kienle edge ahead after three machines were counted by a total of nine votes.
The wait was then on for the results of mail-in ballots and advance polls to be tallied, a process that took more than an hour after the other votes were released. It was here that Hippsley pulled ahead for the win.
In an interview on Access 7 coverage of the vote Hippsley thanked his supporters.
“The city of Yorkton put me here,” he said, adding the close race was a nerve-racking experience.
“To be ... so close I didn’t know which way it was going to fall,” he said, adding even as the final numbers came up on the screen he had “to blink” to be sure he was in.
So what gave Hippsley the edge?
“Age brings perspective, I think that was a big part of it,” he said, adding having lived in the city and worked here for years helped create a trust in his ability to be a good leader for the city.
But, Hippsley also noted the Mayor does not work in isolation, with decisions made by the seven members of Council. He is joined by incumbents Ken Chyz, Randy Goulden, Quinn Haider, Darcy Zaharia, as well as former mayor Chris Wyatt and newcomer Dustin Brears.
For his part Kienle was obviously disappointed by the late change in fortunes, noting it was not the result he had hoped for.
Next Kienle paused to say thank you to the half of voters “that showed up to support me” and to his family and friends for helping in his campaign.
“I also want to congratulate the winning councillors and Mitch,” he said.
Asked if he had advice for the new Council Kienle said he does believe “there needs to be more work done” in terms of those on Council taking the opportunities which exist to learn more about their roles and the operations of Councils so that they work as smoothly as possible.
Kienle said he felt he had worked hard, and taken the course that were offered and it gave him insights he hopes others on Council will now take advantage of.
“I hope they all work harder this term to make good decisions for the benefit of all in Yorkton,” he said.
