Murdock and his family appeared in council chambers toward the end of the evening as the final numbers came in. Once all five divisions had reported, the results — unofficially, until the city confirms them on Nov. 15 — showed that he had received 5,437 votes out of a total of 8,542 cast for mayor, or roughly 63.5 per cent.
In second place was Coun. Crystal Froese, who received 1,439 total votes. Therefore, Murdock defeated her by 3,998 ballots.
In third place was incumbent Mayor Clive Tolley with 601.
In fourth place was Mike Simpkins with 571.
In fifth place was Coun. Kim Robinson with 494.
Meanwhile, the unofficial results showed that 8,606 residents voted this year, which represented about 31.6 per cent of the electorate. This is a 9.2-per-cent jump from the 2020 election, when 22.4 per cent of people voted.
Tolley says goodbye
Tolley spoke first and acknowledged that these results meant his term as mayor was over. He thanked everyone who voted for him, those he worked with at city hall, and the councillors. He also congratulated Murdock and the other candidates who ran.
“It’s a gutsy and important thing to have people run for an election,” Tolley continued. “And we had five people run for mayor and 24 people run for council, for a total of 29 people in our community (who) stepped up and said they want to be a part of the solution and serve the citizens of Moose Jaw.”
Tolley said he was proud of his three years as Moose Jaw’s 41st mayor, while he would miss his colleagues and serving residents. He noted that he had possible plans for a future career but declined to elaborate.
The outgoing mayor encouraged the new council with its future duties, especially the upcoming 2025 budget discussions, a process that he jokingly said he’s glad he didn’t have to do anymore or pass along tax increases.
Tolley added that the most rewarding aspect of his job was representing Moose Jaw at provincial and national meetings. He noted that participants usually inquired about “Canada’s Most Notorious City,” which made him feel good talking about the community.
Murdock says hello
Taking the podium, Murdock thanked the four mayoral candidates and the 24 councillor candidates, saying they showed that the community “was in good shape” with people who cared, were passionate and wanted the best for Moose Jaw.
“And of course, congratulations to the elected officials. I truly do look forward to working with all of you as this will be a team effort and I’m ready for that challenge,” he said.
Murdock also thanked his family for making his run possible, while he commended his campaign team.
When asked what he thought about being Moose Jaw’s 42nd mayor, Murdock said that his mother was born in 1942, so he took his appointment as “a good sign” since she inspires him.
“It will be truly an honour. I’m looking forward to this and I’m looking forward to representing the community with fresh ideas and thoughts and just being the voice for them,” he noted.
When asked what he wanted to see council accomplish in its first 100 days, the mayor-elect said he wanted to develop strong relationships with the councillors in his first 30 days and create a strong team with a similar vision.
As for 100 days, Murdock joked that maybe the city could save money on snow removal if the winter was mild. Being serious, he said it would likely take a few days for him to realize he was mayor.
Asked what he thought about more people voting this year than in 2020, Murdock said that is likely because residents told him they wanted to be heard and thought he could carry their messages. He also thought the six days of advance polls helped, along with good weather.
The media asked the mayor-elect whether he was looking forward to potentially having to levy a tax increase in the 2025 budget that might affect low-income residents. He replied that he would pay close attention and keep his ears open to potential challenges, while he thought the new council and city administration would do the best they could.
As for his overall vision for Moose Jaw, Murdock said he wanted to see the community move forward and rebuild its pride that seemed to be lacking.
“And I think that the community as a whole really wants to see people coming with the one vision for the betterment of the city,” he added.
