Edmonton election 2021: Incumbent Bev Esslinger loses seat in Anirniq

In a tight race that couldn’t be called Monday night, incumbent councillor Bev Esslinger has lost her seat.

With all polls reporting Tuesday morning, unofficial election results show Erin Rutherford has won the seat in the north Edmonton ward of Anirniq.

Rutherford received 26.14 per cent of the vote, while Esslinger came in second with 24.66 per cent.

Esslinger was first elected to council in 2013 and was the only woman on council two terms ago.

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She is a champion of the women’s initiative and is working to build a child-friendly city. She also started the Gender Based Violence Initiative out of concern for the high numbers of families affected.

Prior to her time on council, Esslinger served as an Edmonton Public School Board Trustee.

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Councillor-elect Rutherford has lived in Edmonton for more than 20 years and currently lives in the ward.

Her platform is focused on supporting the local economy, building stronger communities, offering quality city services and the environment.