The majority of voters in Swift Current have re-elected a fixture on Swift Current city council Wednesday night.
Local business owner Ryan Plewis received the most votes for any of the 10 council candidates with 2,223 of the 2,957 ballots cast.
The now fifth-term councillor said waiting for the results this time around compared to his first election in 2009 was vastly different for his emotions.
"You certainly take nothing for granted when you go through elections," he said. "You put in the same amount of work, try to do all the same things, talk to people, and make sure that you still have your finger on the pulse of what the community is looking for. In that way the process isn't that different, the nerves on the other hand are significantly calmer than they were 15 years ago."
On the campaign trail, Plewis heard two major topics continuously from residents. Fiscal leadership with taxpayers' dollars and the desire for a new recreational facility.
"The people that I spoke to in any event, were pretty clear that that's really important to them and we need to find a way to do it," he said.
Plewis will be joined by a seasoned council. Mayor Al Bridal will serve his second term as the head chair and fourth term on council. Councillors Ryan Switzer, Leanne Tuntland-Wiebe, Tom Christiansen, and Bruce Deg will all serve their second term. Courtney Stewart is the lone individual to be elected with no previous city council experience.
"It will be a very different experience going into a new council than it was in the last election where we had so many new faces," he said. "It will be nice from a budget perspective to know that people around the table are going to be very familiar for the most part with the things that we need to discuss and the decisions that need to be made."
If Plewis serves his four-year term ending in 2028, he will surpass Paul Elder for the longest consecutive Swift Current city councillor with records dating back to 1906 and tie Dr. William Field for the longest-serving city councillor in Swift Current history with 19 years.
"With respect to the length of service the only thing I find interesting is the fact that people still feel like I have a voice that matters at council, in that respect, it's an honour," he said. "With respect to setting records, that's not something I'm interested in."