It was to thunderous cheers as Gillingham took to the stage after being elected with 27.5 per cent of the vote on Wednesday night, beating his nearest rival Glen Murray by more than 4,000 votes. “Next week it will be my great honor to serve and to govern and to lead this city and to build on that history with everything that I can muster,” Gillingham said during his victory speech. “My campaign motto has been from the beginning – Unite to build a stronger Winnipeg – and my goal will be to make every effort in the coming months and years of this term to bring Winnipeg together so we can build a stronger , brighter city. “ Gillingham first appeared on the political scene in 2014 when he took up his duties as a St James’s councilor and was subsequently re-elected in 2018. He spent time on the finance committee as well as the Winnipeg police board and was a member of former mayor Brian Bowman’s inner circle. “I recognize tonight what we all recognize, that tonight the vote was very split. This was an extremely close race,” Gillingham said. In the end, Gillingham polled 53,663 votes, “What a night,” Gillingham told a room full of cheering supporters. MURRAY ADMITS MAYOR RACE Glenn Murray, who was a frontrunner in the mayoral race in Winnipeg, finished with about 25 percent of the vote. He congratulated Gillingham on their win while conceding the match. “I don’t want you to go home feeling disappointed tonight. We love our city,” Murray told those who came out to support him on election night. “We are citizens of this city and this whole campaign was about activating our citizenship.” It was a tight race. According to a Probe Research poll commissioned by CTV News Winnipeg and the Winnipeg Free Press, Gillingham was receiving just 15% of voter support, while former mayor Glen Murray was ahead at 40% in late September. GILLINGHAM’S PROMISES TO THE WINNIPEGGERS Early on, Gillingham focused on the mayoral race, filing his campaign on the second day of registration. Improving transportation was at the forefront of the mind of the former St. James. He says the city still has time to build roads and improve their durability. It plans to invest $50 million to fund additional road repairs between now and 2026. Gillingham has also targeted Kenaston Boulevard and the Chief Peguis Trail. He wants to widen Kenaston between Ness and Taylor and extend Chief Peguis from Main Street to Kenaston. “These are trade routes, they open up our economy. And what these two projects are going to do … they connect directly to CentrePort South. CentrePort is going to be the next area that brings the most jobs to our city. It’s the largest industrial land and employment land that we have in the city of Winnipeg,” Gillingham said in an earlier interview with CTV News Winnipeg. To help with some of his plans, he said property taxes would rise to 3.5 percent next year and introduce a one-time facade levy. Gillingham also wants to be tough on crime while mayor, saying he plans to sit on the Winnipeg Police Board, which would give him an opportunity to hold the Winnipeg Police Service accountable. Gillingham said he would work to have police in the city approach crime with a more proactive approach and involve community organizations more in crime prevention plans. Addressing the issue of homelessness and addiction, Gillingham plans to have a Senior Advisor on Homelessness and Road Safety who can assist community organisations. It also promises to get more housing faster for those who need it by creating 270 units of rapid-fire modular housing that can be built on city-owned or purchased land. Other campaign promises include better customer service at city hall, building a stronger local economy, improving downtown and making Winnipeg greener. GILLINGHAM TO TAKE OVER FROM BOWMAN Gillingham will take over from Brian Bowman. Bowman was first elected Mayor of Winnipeg in 2014 and was re-elected four years later. Two years ago he announced that he would not run for re-election. “In my view, Manitoba has too many career politicians,” Bowman said at the time. “I won’t be one of them.” Bowman was the 43rd mayor of Winnipeg and the first Indigenous mayor in the city’s history. This is breaking news. More to come.
