Don Iveson easily wins 2nd term as Edmonton mayor
Don Iveson handily won a second term as Edmonton mayor Monday, while one council incumbent, Dave Loken, lost his seat in Ward 3 to newcomer Jon Dziadyk.
"We work to leave things better than we found them," Iveson told the crowd at his victory party at a downtown Edmonton hotel. "To move forward, and not back, so that our kids and grandkids will live in a city that they never want to leave."
Some of his council colleagues had a tougher night.
Dziadyk upset Loken in Ward 3 by a margin of 464 votes. Coun. Tony Caterina was neck and neck with challenger Kris Andreychuk in Ward 7 but managed to pull ahead by 165 votes in the end.
Loken, who was first elected to council in 2010, called his loss "shocking."
"Certainly didn't expect this result," he said, noting that this was one of his better campaigns.
Loken attributed the loss to vote-splitting with candidate Karen Principe.
Three incumbents chose not to run again so three newcomers were elected to council: Aaron Paquette in Ward 4, Tim Cartmell in Ward 9 and Sarah Hamilton in Ward 5.
Hamilton used to work and campaign for former Edmonton mayor Stephen Mandel, who gave her an official endorsement. The 32-year-old said her priority is to get a new recreation centre built in the west end.
"I look forward to working with Coun. Knack on that and of course making sure that the LRT is built right and becomes an asset to the west end," Hamilton said.
Cartmell, 51, said people in the ward told him "they want their time back," referring to traffic gridlock in the city and lack of services.
"It's hard on people when they're stuck in congestion. It's hard on people in the newer parts of the ward where it's just such a long journey to get home," he said.
"And when you get home, there isn't a child care spot or there isn't a school or there isn't some of those fundamental amenities. You have to leave the neighbourhood for everything."
Paquette, 43, is a well-known local artist, writer and educator. His election makes him the first Indigenous member of council since the 1960s.
Paquette campaigned on securing better public services for people in Ward 4, which takes up the northeast part of the city. He said people in the ward elected a strong voice for better public services.
"This isn't my victory, it's your victory," Paquette told a cheering crowd of supporters. "And it's a victory for every resident of northeast Edmonton."
'To move forward, not back'
Ward 1 Coun. Andrew Knack, Ward 2 Coun. Bev Esslinger, Ward 6 Coun. Scott McKeen, Ward 8 Coun. Ben Henderson, Ward 10 Coun. Michael Walters, Ward 11 Coun. Mike Nickel and Ward 12 Coun. Moe Banga kept their seats.
Iveson, 38, served two terms as a city councillor before he was elected mayor in 2013. Although he faced a dozen challengers, most were considered to be fringe candidates.
- 'She just threatened to knock me out': Mayoral forum opens with 'Sweetie' spat
He received 72.5 per cent of the vote, compared to the 62 per cent he won in 2013. Don Koziak placed second in the race with 6.78 per cent.
Three wards were wide open as Ward 4 Coun. Ed Gibbons, Ward 5 Coun. Michael Oshry and Ward 9 Coun. Bryan Anderson decided not to run for re-election.
Voter turnout was 31.5 per cent. In 2013, 34.5 per cent of eligible voters turned up at the polls.
