Thompson incumbent faces 2 challengers as she seeks 3rd mayoral term

Thompson stands at a crossroads. People here will vote for mayor, council, and school board October 28th. Voters will have a decision to make, whether they're on the right path or if they need to change. Advanced voting in Thompson starts this week, running from October 15th to 17th. There's no shortage of candidates. 13 for the city council, 9 for the local school board, and 3 in the mayor's race. Incumbent Colleen Smook and two challengers from council. Oswald Saw first got on city council in 2002. He returned through by-election two years ago. An accountant and a founding member of the Thompson Humane Society, his big issue is public safety, including in the city's downtown. The downtown issue is a big one. Infrastructure is another one. Communication, transparency, those are all things that people have talked to me about. Smoot was the first woman elected to be Thompson's mayor. She's now looking for a third term. She told CBC's Information Radio last month she wants to work on safety and infrastructure while being careful with local money. You have to balance everything. Yes, I would like everything too, but I know my taxpayers don't want a 10% tax increase in order to pay us. Duncan Wong is a three-term city councillor looking to make the jump to the mayor's chair. He hopes his day job in construction will prepare him for snow clearing and fixing potholes. The last 12 years I think I learned a lot of things, how lobbying and policy work, bureaucratic and all that. So 12 years experience, so I think it's time to do the leading part. Two candidates' forms are slated for next week, October 20th for council, October 22nd for the mayor. The first votes will soon be cast and all will be decided at City Hall on election night. Eric Westhaver, CBC News, Thompson.