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Battleford mayor celebrated at last council meeting

Oct 18, 2016 | 9:58 AM

Battleford’s mayor ceremonially ended his 16 years on the town council Monday night.

The council presented Mayor Derek Mahon with a Arizona Coyotes hockey jersey with his name and the number 16 on it.

“Today is the last and final council meeting that I’ll be attending so I’d like to thank everybody for the support over the last 16 years and wish all the candidates luck in the election,” he said. “We’ll see you around town, I guess.”

Mahon served as a councillor for 12 years and as mayor for the last four. Although his last council meeting was Monday, Oct. 17, he will remain mayor until a new one is chosen in the election on Oct. 26.

Mahon said he’d be busy moving forward with his job in consulting and would be taking in a few more hockey games in the United States, hence the Coyotes jersey.

“I’ll miss some parts of the role as a councillor and as the mayor,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of things I’ve been able to do as the mayor over the last four years, go to different events and that type of thing, which took me out of my comfort zone from time to time but it’s all been good and I look forward to moving on.”

Mahon urged the public to do its research on the mayoral and council candidates so they can get out and vote in the upcoming election.

All six members of town council will be on the ballot for either mayor or councillor on election day. Councillors David George and Ames Leslie are both running for Mahon’s spot. The other four, Shelley Boutin-Gervais, Susan McLean Tady, Gordon Yarde and Doug Laing, are running for re-election as town councillors.

Also running for town council are four new candidates, Judy Pruden, Kevin Russell, Ken Chartier and Kirby Arbeau.

Battleford residents can vote at the Alex Dillabough Centre on Oct. 26.

 

Sarah Rae is battlefordsNOW’s court and crime reporter. She can be reached at Sarah.Rae@jpbg.ca or tweet her @sarahjeanrae.