We knew early on in 2012 that Estevan would have a new mayor.
What we didn't know was who would replace Gary St. Onge, the man who'd held the position since 2005.
After what turned out to be an interesting race between two council veterans and a local businessman, the experience of Roy Ludwig won out as the voters of Estevan chose him to lead the city for the next four years.
With St. Onge making it clear that he was not going to run for another term as mayor, it set the stage for a new face to jump in and take over the city's top job. Initially, however, it seemed as though interest in becoming mayor lukewarm in the community.
Councillor Chris Istace was among the first to indicate interest, but he ultimately decided to run for another term on council.
It wasn't until late June when the first hat was officially thrown into the ring when Ludwig, to no one's surprise, announced that he planned to seek the mayor's job after 18 years as a councillor.
Running on his past record and involvement in such groups as the St. Joseph's Hospital Board and the Spectra Place Construction Committee, of which he was chairman, Ludwig made his announcement to local media in late June.
The second person to enter the race was another member of council Lynn Chipley. The two-term member came out of the gate flying, saying that the City needed to improve many of the ways it conducts its business and that change was needed throughout Estevan to ensure the Energy City makes itself a place that people want to live in, not a place where they work a couple of years and move on.
With the deadline nearing, a third person entered the race, local businessman Jim Halladay. The owner of M&H Taxi and a former member of the Estevan Police Service, Halladay said he decided to run after a number of residents encouraged him to do so. His primary issue entering the race was ensuring that the City was meeting all of its infrastructure needs.
The trio of candidates made their case to voters throughout October and entering election day, it was predicted that Chipley and Ludwig would wage a close battle with many hesitating to predict a winner.
The prediction of a two-person race proved accurate, but in the end it was anything but close as Ludwig captured over 60 per cent of the vote. Chipley received 30 per cent of the vote while Halladay finished in third place with 10 per cent.
While speaking to the media after his election, Ludwig said he felt his experience on council and in other venues was a deciding factor although he did admit he was worried it might work against him.
"When you have been in the game as long as I have, people think maybe it's time to kick the old boy out, he's stagnant, and get someone fresher," he said. "I think with my involvement in Spectra Place, working towards a new nursing home and all of the issues - CT scan which I have been working towards, the recruitment and retention of doctors - all helped to prove that I am very active and I am working toward positive change in our community and I think that helped."
Just as they did when selecting the mayor, voters also opted for experience on council. Three of the four incumbents to run - Dennis Moore, Chris Istace and Brian Johnson - were re-elected. The three other candidates selected also had extensive municipal government experience. Greg Hoffort, who was the former administrator of the RM of Estevan, received the highest number of votes. Former councillor Lori Carr returned to council after one term on the sidelines while Kevin Smith, the chairman of the Board of Police Commissioners rounded out the field.
The new members were sworn in just days after the election and quickly went to work tackling a number of issues including the 2013 budget which was deliberated earlier this month.
