It's been a long depressing fact that few women run for public office in the Northwest Territories and even fewer get elected.
Of the 60 candidates who ran in the 2015 territorial election, 10 of them were women and only two were elected. The number of women who ran in Monday's municipal election wasn't much better. Out of 20 candidates running for mayor and city council, only four were women but this time the results were spectacular.
All four candidates were elected, with mayor-elect Rebecca Alty far outpacing her nearest rival, fellow two-term city councillor Adrian Bell, and Shauna Morgan storming to top of the list of vote-getters for city council. Newcomers Stacie Smith and Cynthia Mufandaedza were also elected to council.
All four candidates are well-qualified. Alty began her last term on council as deputy mayor before taking on a senior management role with Diavik Diamond Mine as manager of communities and communications. She was also chair of the Solid Waste Management Committee in her first term where she spearheaded the city's residential garbage and compost bin program.
Coun. Morgan is entering her second term after chairing the city's Community Energy Planning Committee and developing a reputation as a well-versed and meticulously prepared member of city council.
Smith and Mufandaedza have no prior political experience but both are business owners and council will surely benefit from having a couple more people on it who know a thing or two about the challenges of making payroll in a community where the cost of living is extremely high.
What does this all mean? It should go without saying that all four candidates hold high merit for elected office but given how there were 20 candidates and only four women running, voters clearly wanted women to win Monday night.
Bell argued he was the most accomplished candidate for mayor during the election, noting how he had led 25 motions during his six years on council.
He is undoubtedly very qualified to be mayor – but so is Alty. And in a dreadful year for the city with allegations of sexual misconduct aimed at its head of municipal enforcement taking centre stage, voters can't be blamed for wanting to put some women in charge.
If an old boys club persisted after Sheila Bassi-Kellett took over as head of city administration in 2017, it's surely dead now.
So now the real work begins. Mayor-elect Alty and the newly elected council have a daunting project ahead of them.
The city needs a new pool, economic uncertainty abounds, social issues downtown remain an unfinished business. We wish the new mayor and council good luck on the road ahead, for it will surely be a rough one.