Barry Rudd has won the Maple Creek election, beating incumbent mayor Anne Weisgerber by a large number.
“I think the people voted for change. The people wanted change and I guess I stepped up to the plate. I was there, I voiced my opinion and I tried to run my election platform on being open and honest,” said Rudd.

The unofficial election results are now in for the Town of Leader.
Under Mayor Craig Tondevold’s leadership, the six councillors are:
Albert Heck (incumbent) – 255 votes
Jason Hodge (new member) – 247 votes
Gary Meier (incumbent) – 246 votes
Jo-Anne Tetlock (incumbent) – 227 votes
Calvin Bachmeier (incumbent) – 202 votes
Sarah Andreas (new member) – 183 votes
The other two candidates who were not elected were Jeff Cunningham with 114 votes and Charlotte Albrecht with 62 votes. Total voter turnout was 301.
Results have not yet been released for school board elections. The official result will come …

By Sheri Monk
The story begins in the mid-1940s when a long stretch of Highway No. 32 between Shackleton and Leader was paved – sort of. No one knows for sure who decided how the highway would be constructed, but that decision resulted in a 65-year struggle which will finally cease in the fall of 2010.

By Sheri Monk
Christmas is a busy time of year – especially for area food banks and holiday hamper programs.
The Leader and Surrounding Communities (LSC) Food Bank just came into existence a couple of months ago to address a need in the community.

By Sheri Monk
Captain Ed Dean of The Salvation Army says the Maple Creek all-candidates forum held Oct. 19 failed to address a critical issue – affordable housing and dilapidated rental properties.
“Back home in Saskatoon, we would call them the slumlords and Maple Creek does have its own,” Dean said.

By Sheri Monk
There are several lists of the top 10 fears, but they all share one thing in common – fear of public speaking.
“If I had taken a glass of milk and a scoop of ice cream, I’d have ended up with a milkshake, I was shaking so bad,” said Maple Creek councillor candidate Clay Wagner of his appearance at the Oct. 19 all-candidates forum.

By Sheri Monk
Maple Creek mayoral candidate Barry Rudd – also a current councillor – says he was surprised by a letter to the editor in the Oct. 22 edition of the Maple Creek News-Times. The letter, which harshly criticized Rudd less than a week from the Oct. 28 election, was penned by fellow councillor Dave Rowley – the only current council member not seeking re-election.

By Sheri Monk
A poll conducted by The Badger over three consecutive days reveals the race for mayor of Maple Creek will be a tight one.
A total of 100 eligible voters were selected randomly and asked who they thought would win as mayor – Anne Weisgerber or Barry Rudd.
In total, 48 respondents said they thought Rudd will win, 27 believed Weisgerber would remain as mayor and 25 people were undecided.
On the first day of polling, Oct. 23, the race was neck and neck, but as the curvey continued on Oct. 24 …

The last regular meeting of the current Maple Creek council ended with a bang last night after an unexpected delegation was permitted to read a letter to council that attacked current councillor and mayoral candidate Barry Rudd on the eve of the election.