Edmonton Votes: Wards 5, 6, 7 and 8
CBC News | Posted: October 22, 2013 5:25 AM | Last Updated: October 22, 2013
Central Edmonton was due for at least a couple of shake ups Monday night with one long-term councillor retiring and another stepping down to compete instead in the mayoral race.
You can find out more about each city ward here.
Ward 5
With former councillor Karen Leibovici running for mayor this term, Ward 5 was guaranteed to have a new representative on city council this election.
One of the tightest races of the night, Ward 5 was the last called, with businessman Michael Oshry winning a close race with 5,433 votes.
"I door-knocked a ton, I heard a lot of the issues," he said. "For me, I think they wanted a local presence and someone with business experience to help manage the city. The city has a lot of challenges, growth challenges. A lot of good things happening, though."
Jim Gibbon, the owner of Amber’s Brewery, came in second with 4,805 votes.
Ward 6
With 16 candidates running and long-time representative Jane Batty retiring from council this year, Ward 6 promised a lively race on election night.
The main race came down to a head-to-head between former Edmonton Journal city-hall columnist Scott McKeen and school board trustee Heather McKenzie.
McKeen took an early lead, winning by a margin of 1,654 votes.
After the results were announced, McKeen – dapper in a bowtie – addressed the crowd over the sounds of “Good Vibrations,” to thank his supporters and volunteers.
"I think the experience I brought to this probably resonated with people," he said. "I did literally sit through hundreds of council meetings, so I know the place pretty well ... There probably was some name recognition. And I really did have a great campaign team."
Ward 7
Two-term council veteran Tony Caterina, first elected in 2007, was re-elected Monday night, besting opponent Dave Colburn, a high-profile public school trustee, by just over 1,000 votes when polls closed.
Ward 8
One of the most decisive victories of the 2013 municipal election was the win by Ward 8 incumbent Ben Henderson, who beat his closest competition by more than 12,000 votes.
Henderson has sat on council since 2007.