Chad Bachynski defeats Sandra Masters to become mayor of Regina

Chad Bachynski will be Regina's next mayor, after defeating incumbent Sandra Masters, who was vying for a second term.

Polls closed on Wednesday at 8 p.m., and Bachynski maintained a strong lead throughout the night, with second place challenger Lori Bresciani trailing by nearly 3,400 votes and Masters by nearly 4,400 votes as of 11:30 p.m. with all polling stations reporting.

The mayor-elect captured 31.5 per cent of the vote, with Bresciani recording 24.8 per cent and Masters with 23.1 per cent.

Speaking with CTV News immediately after the call was made, Bachynski shared his surprise and thanked his team.

"It still feels a little surreal to be honest," he laughed. "We really did this on friends and family and word of mouth and through a true grassroots campaign. It's incredible. It feels great, just for all the effort that everyone put into this."

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Bachynski was among four candidates who were recognized as frontrunners during the campaign along with Bresciani, Masters and Bill Pratt, who came in fourth.

A mechanical engineer by trade, Bachynski attended the University of Saskatchewan from 2004 to 2008, where he earned his bachelor’s degree.

Coming out of school, he worked at Applied Industrial Technologies LP in Regina for a number of years before securing a position at SaskEnergy.

In just over a decade, he rose from the position of pipeline engineer to the manager of enterprise networks for the provincial Crown corporation.

Leaning on his engineering background in his pitch to voters, Bachynski vowed to bring a technical approach to city council through his experience in project management.

As part of his platform, he promised to investigate extended hours for construction schedules to alleviate issues for residents and business owners.

He also cited concerns over community safety as a reason for running and stressed the importance of making sure city council keeps a united front on issues so things can get done faster.

“I've had the opportunity to build teams, bring in new people, work with new people, understand different personalities. I'm excited. I think it's great. I think that it's an opportunity for everybody." he told reporters during his acceptance speech as mayor-elect.

"Regina has said they want change, this is a great opportunity to set a new tone."

A newcomer to politics, Bachysnki went on to say his priority will be to "look, listen and learn" in order to get to work as fast as possible.

"That's the biggest thing. I know there's a lot to learn. I know there'll be a massive learning curve and a lot to download," he added.

"But yeah, I'm up for it. I'm excited."

With only two incumbent councillors having been elected as of the preliminary count Wednesday night, Bachynski is the one of many fresh faces who will adourn Henry Baker Hall in the coming weeks.

Masters concedes

Following Bachynski's win, outgoing mayor Sandra Masters spoke to reporters, expressing relief to get back to a normal life.

“I would be lying if I didn’t say I was a little bit relieved in a way. You know, you get a life back, I like to think I’m still employable in some respects,” she said.

Masters said she called Bachynski to congratulate on him on his win, as well as offer contacts to ensure a smooth transition.

“He’s a smart man, it will not be without its challenges,” she said. “We got a lot of work to do in the city but again he’s an intelligent man, so yeah, I’m looking forward to watching it.”

Masters said she is optimistic in terms of the projects that Bachynski will move forward with as mayor.

“Chad spoke about just the practicality of infrastructure, and there's major projects that are underway,” she said.

“The audit and finance committee, in terms of the proper reporting from the City of Regina, for sure, the infrastructure coordination that's been underway and that needs to continue and kind of cascade down into the smaller projects.”

Masters expressed her appreciation for the relationships she has built during her four years as mayor.

“It was an honour and privilege to serve the citizens of Regina, like truly the honour of a lifetime,” she said.

“It doesn't matter if it's business organizations or our tourism sites, from the science centre to the new Y, to … the relationships with First Nations chiefs that I've been able to develop just again, the privilege of a lifetime supporting the military, local folks, supporting our first responders. I couldn't have asked for a better job for the last four years.”