The votes have been tallied, and one new face will join Flin Flon city council for the next four year term.
Colleen Arnold, who squeezed onto council with 512 votes will take a seat left vacant by former councillor Bill Hanson who chose not to run for re-election. Arnold will serve alongside incumbents Colleen McKee, Ken Pawlachuk, Karen MacKinnon, Tim Babcock and Guy Rideout. Mayor Cal Huntley had no challengers, and was acclaimed as mayor earlier this year.
Arnold said she is pleased with the results.
“I’m proud and privileged to work for the people, and I’m promising 110 per cent and trying for the betterment of the community,” said Arnold, adding over the next term she hopes to encourage more participation from and consultation with the greater public, especially on large issues.
More than half of the 1,161 people who went to the polls in Flin Flon cast their vote for Colleen McKee, who received the largest number of votes at 646, and will enter her fourth term on council.
“I’m really excited I get the opportunity again, because I truly believe in my heart that we are moving in the right direction,” said McKee.
“I think it’s going to be some exciting times. I know there’s this whole cloud of doom and gloom. You can’t kill this spirit. I don’t care who you are, you can’t kill this spirit. That’s what drives me.”
McKee said she believes economic diversity in Flin Flon is long overdue, and that will be her focus over the next four years.
“It’s not just up to me, but I would really like to see a push in economic diversification and initiatives, but along with that, building in our backyard,” said McKee.
On the Flin Flon School Board, newcomers Ebony Trubiak, Jill Akkerman and Leslie Power will join incumbents Amy Sapergia Green, Leslie Fernandes, Murray Skeavington and Tim Davis.
A recount was called when candidates Tim Davis and Angela Simpson were originally voted a tie. The recount showed Davis had 557 votes to Simpson’s 552. Trubiak received the largest number of votes for school board trustees with 860 ballots cast in her favour.
While the exact percentage of voter turnout has yet to be calculated – documents essential to the calculation were damaged in a flood – 1,161 Flin Flon residents voted in this year’s general municipal election. This is down 12 per cent from the 2014 general municipal election which saw 1,310 residents vote and a voter turnout of less than 40 per cent.
Generally, candidates for school board received more votes than candidates for council at 5,683 total votes for school board to 5,561 total votes for council. If all 1,161 voters each voted for six councillors and seven school board trustees, the number of votes cast for council candidates would be 6,966 and the number of votes for school board trustees would be 8,127.
Councillors will be sworn in during the Nov. 6 meeting of council. Council meetings take place at 7 pm on the first and third Tuesdays of each month at Flin Flon City Hall. The public is welcome to attend.
