Wild municipal election night in Yukon as new mayor called by random draw in Faro
Voters in several Yukon communities headed to the ballot box Thursday to choose a new mayor and council.
Municipal elections were held in Watson Lake, Carmacks, Faro, Teslin and Haines Junction.
Read below for the results.
Faro
It was an interesting night in Faro, as Leonard Faber defeated incumbent mayor Jack Bowers not by earning more votes but by luck of the draw.
Both Faber and Bowers received 86 votes and rules stipulate that in case of a tie, the winner's name — in this case it was Faber's — is drawn.
Four councillors were elected out of five candidates.
Tina Freake
Lisa Snyder, incumbent
Pat McCracken, incumbent
Cheryl Stubbs
Watson Lake
In Watson Lake, Cheryl O'Brien ousted incumbent mayor Justin Brown with 282 votes. Brown garnered 188 votes.
O'Brien said her top priority as mayor will be to ensure the budget is balanced while making sure there is money for infrastructure. She also said she wants to manage town meetings in an open and clear way, and make sure residents understand the reasoning behind decisions the town government makes.
Four councillors were also elected, out of 11 who ran:
Lauren Hanchar, with 249 votes
Christopher Irvin, incumbent, with 239 votes
Erin Labonte, with 220 votes
Thomas Slager, with 199 votes
Carmacks
Incumbent mayor Lee Bodie won with 60 votes, while Kevin Unterschute got 48 votes and Bob Mayer received 30 votes. Bodie said his top priority will be to bring more jobs to the village.
Four councillors were elected out of seven candidates.
George Skookum, with 100 votes
Helena Belanger, incumbent, with 87 votes
Tara Wheeler, incumbent, with 84 votes
Lorraine Graham, with 63 votes
Teslin
Gord Curran was elected mayor with 88 votes. He formerly served on council. He won against Jean-Michel Harvey, who received 48 votes.
Curran said he's looking forward to continuing his working relationship with Teslin Tlingit Council, and updating the official community plan.
Four councillors were elected out of six candidates:
Trevor Sallis, incumbent, with 86 votes
Denise Johnston, incumbent, 84
Clara Jules, with 84 votes
Juanita Kremer, with 78 votes
Haines Junction
Thomas Eckervogt had already been acclaimed as mayor before the election. He replaced former mayor Michael Riseborough.
Four councillors were elected out of six candidates:
Susan Smith, incumbent, with 166
Courtney Quinn, with 158 votes
Kari Johnston, with 137 votes
Mark Nassiopoulos, with 132 votes
Dawson City and Mayo
Neither Dawson City nor Mayo held elections Thursday, because their mayors and council were both acclaimed.
In Dawson City, the acclaimed mayor is Wayne Potoroka.
The acclaimed council is:
Natasha Ayoub
Stephen Johnson
Bill Kendrick
Molly Shore
In Mayo, the acclaimed mayor is Scott Bolton.
The acclaimed council is:
Blair Andre
Joann K. Aird
Trevor Ellis
Carol Knight
