Familiar faces return to Thunder Bay city council, but voters also show desire for change

Voters in Thunder Bay, Ont., have shown they want familiar faces around the city council table for the next four years.

Mayor-elect Ken Boshcoff is among the well-known politicians at City Hall, having served seven terms as a councillor and sitting in the mayor's seat from 1997 to 2003.

All seven incumbents who ran for their second, third — or even fifth — terms as municipal politicians will fill the majority of the 13 council seats following Monday's election. Five new representatives will join them.

While voter turnout dropped to a level not seen in the northwestern Ontario city since 2006, and the vast majority of councillors are returning, the resuls indicate a strong desire for change — especially when it comes to the mayor's job.

Gary Mack, who ran as a change candidate, earned 12,145 votes and lost the mayor's seat by fewer than 1,400. That's equivalent to less than three per cent of the popular vote.

"I heard at the doors over and over that people want change at city council, that we wanted crime, homelessness and our roads addressed in a big way," Mack said after the results were finalized.

"Half the people said they want something different. Half the people said they want the same old," he said. "Thunder Bay's in trouble. I think we're in a crisis."

The new council will certainly feel the pressure from the public to take urgent action on major files, from addictions and homelessness to policing

"I am sick of watching friends die [from overdoses], and it needs to change," said Noah Siren, a Lakehead University student in his fourth year studying political science.

"My message [to the newly elected council members] would be to hit the ground running — be that contagious attitude for change that everybody wants."

Simran Talpade, a second-year political science student, agreed with Siren.

"Change is what we're really looking for here. There's a lot of momentum gained with the campaigns, and it would be wonderful to see some new changes," she told CBC's Superior Morning on Tuesday.

Shelby Ch'ng, who was elected as an at-large councillor Monday night after two previous terms as the representative for the Northwood ward, seemed to capture that energy.

"I'm ready to hit the ground running … we've got some really heavy rocks to lift," she said after locking in her spot on council. She added there is a lot of work to do on the city's police board, and she hopes to keep her seat on it.