Roy Ludwig will have a second term as the mayor of Estevan.
According to unofficial results, Ludwig captured 1,809 of the 2,453 votes cast, or 73.7 per cent of the votes, in Wednesday’s civic election in Estevan. James Halladay received 453 votes (18.5 per cent) to finish second and Rhyan Hagel received 191 votes (7.8 per cent).
Ironically, Ludwig received an almost identical number of votes as he did in the 2012 civic election. In that vote, he had 1,807 of the 3,018 votes cast.
“I had no idea what I would get this year,” said Ludwig. “Every election is different. They have their own set of circumstances. I’m just overwhelmed with the support I received from the community.”
It didn’t take long for those who gathered at city hall for the election results to realize that Ludwig had been re-elected as mayor. The first two polls – a mobile poll and the polling station for the northern half of the city, which was located at the Estevan Church of God – showed that Ludwig had captured more than 1,500 votes, and was well ahead of the runner-up Halladay.
As for the councillor election, there will be three new members to join three incumbents.
Newcomer Shelly Veroba finished first with 1,924 votes. Greg Hoffort, who finished first in the 2012 councillor race, was second this time around with 1,749 votes. Trevor Knibbs, who joined council in a 2014 by-election, will get a first full term on council, thanks to his third place finish with 1,694 votes.
Two more newcomers finished fourth and fifth. Travis Frank received 1,553 votes, and Lyle Yanish received 1,540 votes. Just behind them was incumbent Dennis Moore, who claimed the sixth and final seat with 1,530 votes.
“I look forward to working with the new council,” said Ludwig. “I must admit, I was surprised we have three (new councillors). I welcome the new councillors.”
Ludwig encouraged the new council members to have courage and to stand up for what they believe in.
“I found the hardest thing when you come in new, is to speak your mind, and to take a stand on a given position,” said Ludwig. “It’s very easy, when you come in new, to fold and go with the majority.
“I really respect people who come in and say ‘I don’t agree with you for these reasons,’ and take a stand, because you do represent the community. You’ve been elected by the community, so it’s very important to let your viewpoints and stances on issues be known.”
At the same time, he’s pleased there are three incumbents remaining from the previous council.
“It’s always important to have a core of councillors maintained,” said Ludwig. “That’s basically what the administration relies on, and the new councillors rely on, for advice and guidance, at least in the first year.”
Two incumbents were defeated. Kevin Smith came in seventh with 1,380 votes, and Brian Johnson was eighth with 1,333 votes. Smith had spent the last four years on council, while Johnson had been in council chambers for 16 years.
Cameron Robock came in ninth with 314 votes.
This year marked the first time that the City of Estevan used electronic polling to tabulate the results in a civic election, and it made tabulating the results more efficient, as the final results were known within an hour of the polls closing at 8 p.m. In the 2012 vote, the final polling station didn’t report until after midnight.
Results were scheduled to be declared official on Oct. 27 at 2 p.m.
The new council will be sworn in at a special meeting on Nov. 1. Then their first regular meeting will be Nov. 7.
Council members will be thrust into budget deliberations quickly. The resurfacing of King Street is expected to be one of the top priorities in next year’s financial plan. There are also plans to widen King Street to two lanes for eastbound traffic from Petterson Drive to Pine Avenue, although that might not happen next year.
Continued debt repayment and beautification efforts are also expected to be top priorities in next year’s budget.
Next week’s edition of the Estevan Mercury will have comprehensive coverage of the city council elections, as well as elections from other municipalities in the Estevan area. Next week’s edition of southeast Lifestyles will have coverage of municipal elections in other rural communities.
