Gillingham celebrates ‘stronger’ support, plans to meet with new councillors

Mayor Scott Gillingham was greeted with cheers and hugs from staff at city hall Thursday morning after he won his second term as mayor the night before.

Gillingham, who won with 39.82 per cent of the vote, said he’s taking that percentage as a win, describing it as a 50 per cent increase from 2022, when he won with just over 27 per cent of the vote.

“I see this as progress, especially in a time where we see across Manitoba, Ontario and British Columbia in the last seven days, many incumbent mayors, many incumbent councillors lost their seats,” he told reporters from city hall Thursday morning.

“There is more work to do for sure, but I take this as a much stronger mandate that I had in 2022.”

Gillingham plans to meet with each councillor over the next three days to hear about their priorities. With nine rookies set to join council, he hopes to provide a supportive and mentorship role.

He said his advice to new councillors: don’t be afraid to ask questions.

“Be patient with yourself, work hard, ask questions,” he said. “We’re in here to do this together.”

A retreat will be held early in the new year for councillors to lay out their strategic priorities plan.

Gillingham was followed by Kevin Klein (20.71 per cent), Noah Redden (19.84 per cent) and Mike Vogiatzakis (9.66 per cent). There were 12 candidates vying for the mayor’s seat — the most since 1992.

malak.abas@winnipegfreepress.com