Unofficial election results Monday evening showed Aba Mortley defeating incumbent Greg Ridge in the Kings Town District, while incumbent Jimmy Hassan secured 90 percent of the vote in Trillium.
Originally from Trinidad and Tobago, Mortley came to Kingston to study at Queen’s University and later served on multiple Kingston boards and committees.
Mortley spoke with YGK News about her campaign and win. She said that she owes her win to being persistent in connecting with the community throughout her campaign.
“I think I just kept showing up,” said Mortley.
Mortley explained that she touched base with voters multiple times to show her passion for leading the district.
Mortley said she listened to people’s questions and went back with answers. She believes her communication with voters made the difference.
“I think communication is a baseline for anything…so maybe they were just like, we can see this person cares,” said Mortley.
Early in her candidacy, Mortley said many people questioned why she was running for a councillor seat.
“I felt like I was under interrogation,” said Mortley
Although Mortley said she doesn’t listen to comments about her, she believes that the questioning came from a place of wanting what’s best for the community and determining if she would be an ally.
Mortley joined fellow candidates and reporters at City Hall on election night following the results broadcast. Incumbent Jimmy Hassan also attended the live results with his family to celebrate his landslide win in the Trillium District.
Hassan shared what it meant to see his numbers come in and said his family was an incredible support system.
“This is something you can’t pull off without family support,” said Hassan.
Hassan’s sons helped with his campaign and supported him through his opponent’s alleged request to investigate his campaign signs.
Hassan also faced a complaint concerning his campaign signs. The City of Kingston confirmed it investigated a candidate’s complaint about election signage but did not identify the complainant or provide further details.
Despite the alleged challenges during his campaign, Hassan received 90 percent of the vote. He said he intends to work hard to serve his district and the city of Kingston.
“I think the people of the district speak [loudly], and they give me their trust and have faith in me,” said Hassan.
The City of Kingston released the official results the following day, confirming Mortley’s victory in King’s Town and Hassan’s re-election in Trillium. Conny Glenn was also confirmed as Kingston’s new mayor.
Meaghan Beavis, LJI Reporter, YGK News