The chants of "Peter! Peter! Peter!" could be heard on the main floor of city hall as Peter Chirico spoke to the media for the first time after he won North Bay's mayoral race in a race that saw him beat former councillor Johanne Brousseau, by more than 700 votes according to the City of North Bay's unofficial results from Monday night.
"It was a tight race obviously but we are here," said Chirico.
"That is the main thing, we won and I am very pleased to be the mayor-elect in the city of North Bay. I look forward to it in so many different ways."
Chirico, a cancer survivor and former deputy mayor in North Bay, says he feels the same shift and change that he was involved in when he was first voted on council back in 2000.
"I think we accomplished a lot in those first three years and I look forward to what we can do in those four years," said Chirico.
Chirico got emotional speaking about having to officially depart as president and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce; a position he stepped away from during the election campaign.
"I am sad I have to leave my other family at the Chamber," he said holding back tears.
"They are the most wonderful people I have ever worked with and that is going to be tough."
Johanne Brousseau was disappointed with the result and her meeting with Chirico at city hall was cold.
"I just congratulated him and he kept on walking," said Brousseau.
"I really don't know what it was, he really slammed and went negative all the time and I was always defending the position of council instead of deflecting and moving on, and maybe that is what happened. But the people chose and I respect the democratic process and I have no regrets."
Brousseau says there is one thing she would have done differently.
"I would have learned more how to deflect and not answer some of the questions during the first debate," she said about debating Chirico.
"It takes a very high-profile communication business to be able to create and stretch truths and kind of create gossip that became election issues. We won't go into that but that is why they win."
See related: PSW has sights set on mayor's chair
Leslie McVeety, finished well back, but still managed 1,121 votes.
The PSW who wanted to make North Bay a safer place after addressing the issues of crime in North Bay after her home was broken into, still believes she made a difference.
"I am happy to see there are a lot of new faces and I hope they can make some positive changes along the way to root them on. I ran as an eye-opener for the public to see how bad North Bay was becoming.
"I will try to run for council next time, we will see how Peter does maybe I need to knock him out of there."
