It was a night of activity last night, both online and at parties in the city, as residents in Timmins anxiously waited for the Municipal Election results to be revealed.

Ballots were cast both online and at polling stations throughout the province yesterday, and in Timmins it was all leading up to who will be the next Mayor of the city. The long, divisive mayoral campaign saw George Pirie and incumbent Steve Black as the two front runners for the position. The two were at odds about many Timmins issues, some of which were discussed by both candidates during the Mayoral Debate and the Mayoral Business Debate.

The election results were delayed by an hour last night when polls had to stay open until 9PM to accommodate a glitch that was experienced throughout the province. 51 cities in total were affected by the glitch, forcing some to delay results for an hour or two and others to declare an emergency under the Municipal Elections Act. Those cities, including Sudbury, have delayed results for 24 hours.

Once the results did start coming in online, it was clear right away that George Pirie had the advantage over Black. His numbers came in at double the incumbent mayor’s and the gap only grew as the night progressed. The end result was 5525 votes (or 34.21%) for Steve Black, and 10323 (or 63.92%) for George Pirie.

Steve Black conceded shortly before half the votes had been counted. Here is the message he sent to supporters:

 

Steven Black

Thank you everyone for your support! Congrats to Mayor Pirie and all the incoming council members. You have my support and best wishes in your upcoming roles. I would ask all my supporters to please show them respect and support in the years ahead as well. Thank you!

 

George Pirie celebrated his win last night at the Dante Club with friends, family and supporters. When asked how he felt after seeing the results, Pirie said he was humbled and ready to get to work.

“I’m feeling very good,” Pirie said, “At the same time, it’s very much an honor, but it’s very humbling to be here. We gave such a large mandate for my platform; [there’s] a lot of work to do and [I’m] looking forward to working hard on behalf of the city of Timmins.”

City Councillors were selected last night as well, and there will be some new faces at the council table at City Hall. The newcomers are Rock Whissell for Ward 1, Mickey Auger for Ward 2, John Curly for Ward 4 and in Ward 5, Michelle Boileau and Kristin Murray. Returning council members are Joe Campbell for Ward 3, and in Ward 5, Noella Rinaldo and Andrew Marks. The voting got close for Councillors in Ward 5, with only two votes separating Andrew Marks and Cory Robin. Previous council members Michael Doody and Rick Dubeau came in after Robin.

In all, it was a lively night after a lively election campaign. People were on the Timmins Facebook page watching the live results come in, while others were at celebrations around the city for mayoral candidates and Councillors. Like the debates and the campaign leading up to it, election night was full of some surprises, a little drama, and a lot of civic pride from citizens in Timmins anxious to see the best for the city in the years to come.

 

 

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