In a room packed with supporters, the final toll came in and with his arms raised in the air, Rajko Dodic became Lethbridge’s new mayor.

Dodic held the lead for much of the evening except for a few tense moments when he found himself trailing Chris Spearman by a handful of votes.

The crowd would roar with applause with the up-to-the-minute results being posted on a massive television.

With the final results on the board, Dodic leapt to his feet in celebration and proceeded to personally and publically thank all of his supporters.

After the outcome, fellow mayoral candidate Chris Spearman who finished second in voting appeared on site and congratulated Dodic on his win.

“I wish Rajko the very best of luck. I think it’s important for our community to come together and support the new council,” said Spearman.

With five new aldermen entering the fray, Dodic remembered his time on council, “There’s going to be a steep learning curve for all of them, I know it was for me, so I’m going to assume that it will be for them as well.” 

He served on city council for two terms before deciding to run for mayor.

Emotions ran high as Dodic spoke about his father.

“Unfortunately my dad died a few months before I ran for council and right now I’m thinking about him and how excited and proud he’d be.”

Grateful in his victory, he talked about his time in Lethbridge.

“I’ve always said how grateful I am that my parents chose Canada and that I’ve had Lethbridge to live in. I’ve lived here for 53 years, this is a culmination of dreams.”