Dionne re-elected following close mayoral race

Incumbent Greg Dionne has been re-elected to a third term as mayor of Prince Albert in a tight race that came down to a nail-biting finish.

Based on Monday nights unofficial results, Dionne received 3,322 votes, just 245 votes ahead of challenger Darryl Hickie with 3,077 votes.

Dennis Nowoselsky received 439 votes and Josh Morrow got 398 votes.

Dionne led the polls by a margin as thin as around 30 votes for most of the night, but pulled ahead when the final poll, representing advance voting, was reported.

“I’m very pleased,” Dionne told paNOW. “They kept me on the edge of my seat. I was losing by the nine votes when the first polls closed, then I led all the way through, but it wasn’t enough of a lead to make you comfortable until the final poll.”

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He thanked his campaign team and residents, and promised to work hard over the next four years to show voters they’d made the right choice.

Dionne suggested Hickie’s emphasis on public safety in his platform and experience as a police officer may have appealed to voters.

“I do read the polls and I believe the message I got tonight was deal with gangs, drugs and homelessness,” he said. “And we’ll be doing that.”

Meanwhile Hickie congratulated Dionne and thanked his campaign team, volunteers and voters, adding voter turn-out was good considering the winter storm.

“We had a good campaign,” he said. “It just shows the people of Prince Albert were ready to come out and try to make change and that’s all that mattered to me.”

When asked if he would consider requesting a recount given the close finish, Hickie said not at this time.

“With a split of 250 it doesn’t seem to make sense,” Hickie said. “But we’ll regroup tomorrow morning and talk to the returning officer to see what kinds of procedures go into it, but as we sit tonight, I don’t think it’s something we’re going to look at doing, no.”

Official election results will be announced Friday at 10 a.m.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom