Rebecca Alty leading mayoral race in Yellowknife
Rebecca Alty is leading the race for mayor in Yellowknife.
The city is reporting that ballots from six of seven polling stations have been counted. Alty has 2,024 votes while Adrian Bell is in second with 1,277 votes.
Jerald Sibbeston has 62 votes, while Bob Stewart has 61.
If Alty is elected she will be the second woman to be a mayor of the city. Pat McMahon was the first female mayor of Yellowknife and served from 1988 to 1994.
Both Alty and Bell served two terms as city councillor, and also served as deputy mayor for a time.
Alty's platform focused on improving planning within the city itself, particularly its 10-year plan to end homelessness.
Bell's campaign focused on how to reduce Yellowknife's cost of living, and opportunities for the city to make money outside of the mining sector.
Both Stewart, a libertarian who campaigned on cleaning up downtown, and Sibbeston, who ran on an anti-corruption platform, lacked past political experience.
Outgoing Mayor Mark Heyck did not seek re-election this year. After serving two terms as mayor and 15 years on council, Heyck said he was eager to spend more time with family. He's since taken on the role of executive director of the Arctic Energy Alliance.
