After three years at the helm, Clive Tolley bid farewell as the mayor of Moose Jaw following Wednesday night’s civic election results.
Unofficial results have James Murdock as the mayor-elect after a landslide victory with 5,437 votes. The next closest contender was Crystal Froese with 1,439 votes. Tolley’s re-election bid fell short with 601 votes. Official results will be announced by the city on Friday at 11 a.m.
Following the election results, Tolley said the most rewarding thing about being the mayor of Moose Jaw was representing the city at a number of events.
“I felt pride representing our community at a provincial and a national level. When you go to provincial and national meetings with SUMA or FCM (Federation of Canadian Municipalities), Moose Jaw is always centered out as Canada’s Most Notorious City,” Tolley comments.
A professional arbitrator and mediator by trade, Tolley said there are several things he would like to accomplish now that he is out of office, but wouldn’t commit to making any announcements on Wednesday night.
“The old adage when one door closes, another one opens. I’m going to move on with my next career, and so congratulations to James, the new councillors. You’re going to hit the ground running is right because budget discussions are going to start within a few days,” Tolley said.
Tolley took the time to thank those who voted for him and his supporters and congratulated those who were elected to city council.
A former city councillor, Tolley was elected a mayor in 2021 in a by-election after Fraser Tolmie vacated the seat to pursue federal politics.
A special city council meeting is set for Monday at 4 p.m. in council chambers to swear in Murdock as the new mayor and the new city council. Elected as councillors were Jamey Logan, Patrick Boyle, Chris Warren, Heather Eby, Dawn Luhning and Carla Delaurier.