Fred Daniels becomes new mayor of Fort Smith

Fred Daniels is the new mayor of Fort Smith, defeating Jessica Cox by 450 votes to 426 according to results shared by the town on Facebook.

Daniels, a former town councillor and Smith’s Landing First Nation chief, campaigned on promises of improving streets and streetlights, making sure another landslide doesn’t happen, and ensuring municipal departments are fully funded.

“It is late, but thanks to all of you it’s official: I have won,” Daniels wrote on his Facebook campaign page late on Monday.

“Yes, we did it, and it was always about you and our town.

“Thank you all so much. We all have lots of work ahead of us but working together, we can do anything – because we’re Fort Smithers.”

Daniels will replace Lynn Napier, whose bid to move from the mayor’s office to a councillor’s role was unsuccessful on Monday.

Napier was not among the eight councillors elected.

Fort Smith instead voted for Ann Pischinger, Jay MacDonald, Dana Fergusson, Kevin Heron, Leonard Tuckey, Kevin Campbell, Louise Beaulieu, and Dianna Korol.

Of those, Pischinger, Campbell, and Beaulieu were incumbents seeking re-election. Kevin Smith, who had been deputy mayor, was also among those who missed out.

District education authority members elected by town voters were tentatively declared to be Laura Aubrey, Hilary Turko, and Roger Vail.

This year, the Town of Fort Smith chose to select three representatives for its district education authority, or DEA, through an election. 

In past years, the town called for expressions of interest from residents to sit on the DEA and council selected three.

The Salt River First Nation and Fort Smith Métis Council also each appoint three members to the DEA.

The current Fort Smith DEA’s term ends on November 30. The three bodies have until then to appoint the nine representatives.

As of Monday, the DEA had not received any letters of appointment from the First Nation or Métis Council.