LETHBRIDGE, AB – It was a tight race but Blaine Hyggen is Lethbridge’s new Mayor-elect.
With 11,973 votes, Hyggen is set to become the 26th Mayor of Lethbridge, edging out fellow mayoral candidate Bridget Mearns by less than 2 percent of the vote. She garnered 11,465 votes.
Hyggen was first elected to Council in 2013 and was re-elected in 2017.
The eight members of Council-Elect to serve a four-year term in office will include four incumbents, three newcomers and one former Mayor. They are:
· Rajko Dodic *Councillor from 2004 to 2010 & Mayor from 2010 to 2013
· Belinda Crowson *incumbent
· Jenn Schmidt-Rempel
· Ryan Parker *incumbent
· John Middleton-Hope
· Mark Campbell *incumbent
· Jeff Carlson *incumbent
· Nick Paladino
Voter turnout was very strong compared to past years at just under 35 percent. Back in 2017 only 27 percent of eligible voters cast a ballot.
Results will become official at noon on Friday, Oct. 22 with the swearing-in ceremony to take place in one week, on the afternoon of Oct. 25.
The 2021 Municipal Election also had two non-binding ballot questions for the new Council to discuss moving forward. Results are:
· Residents voted 55.69 per cent yes to “Do you support using a ward system to elect City Councillors (other than the Mayor) starting with the 2025 municipal election?”
· Residents voted 60.41 per cent yes to “Do you agree that city council should approve plans to construct a 3rd bridge prior to 2030 as a municipal capital project priority?”
The seven Public School Board Trustees-Elect to serve a four-year term in office are:
· Andrea Andreachuk
· Christine Light
· Kristina Larkin
· Tyler Demers
· Allison Purcell
· Genny Steed
· Craig Whitehead
The five Separate School Board Trustees-Elect to serve a four-year term in office are:
· Carmen P. Mombourquette
· Linda Ellefson
· Tricia Doherty
· Roisin Gibb
· Bob Spitzig
Full unofficial results are available here.
– with submissions from the City of Lethbridge