Mayor-elect Scott Gillingham arrives at his victory celebration at the Clarion Hotel in Winnipeg on Wednesday, October 26, 2022. (COLIN CORNEAU / CHRISD.CA)
Winnipeg has a new mayor in former city councillor Scott Gillingham.
Gillingham captured 53,663 votes in unofficial results Wednesday night to defeat former Winnipeg mayor Glen Murray.
By 10 p.m. and all voting locations reporting, Gillingham received 27.54 percent of the vote over Murray’s 25.29 percent.
Gillingham recently served two terms as a councillor and chaired the city’s finance committee for much of that time.
He ran on a campaign that included hiking property taxes, which he said would help fund road repair, provide housing for the homeless and improve front-line services.
He defeated 10 other candidates, including Murray, who sought a return to the job he left in 2004.
“It will be my high honour to serve and to govern and to lead this city,” Gillingham told supporters at the Clarion Hotel.
“It will be my goal to make every effort through the coming months and years of this term to unite Winnipeg together so we can build a stronger, brighter city.”
Gillingham replaces Brian Bowman, who served two terms as mayor and did not seek re-election.
It was another political defeat for Murray, who had led in opinion polls early in the campaign and had been endorsed by labour groups.
Voters went to the polls Wednesday to elect municipal politicians and school board trustees across Manitoba.
Scott Gillingham greets a supporter at his victory celebration, Wednesday, October 26, 2022. (COLIN CORNEAU / CHRISD.CA)
Congratulations to Winnipeg’s Mayor-Elect @ScottGillingham! Look forward to working with you in the coming days to ensure a smooth and orderly transition. #wpg22
— Mayor Brian Bowman (@Mayor_Bowman) October 27, 2022
Outside the Perimeter
People in Brandon, the province’s second-largest city, were also electing a new mayor Wednesday. Former mayor Rick Chrest did not seek re-election. In early results, longtime councillor Jeff Fawcett was ahead of the only other candidate, Elliott Oleson.
Some other communities saw incumbents re-elected. Colleen Smook won another term as mayor of Thompson. Larry Johannson was victorious again in Selkirk.
Voters across Manitoba also cast ballots for school trustees Wednesday.
Two high-profile opponents of COVID-19 public health orders, Todd MacDougall and Patrick Allard, failed in their bids to get elected to different school boards in Winnipeg.
The two men were among five people recently convicted and fined for repeated breaches of public health orders. They have said they will appeal their convictions.
— With files from The Canadian Press
