CHUBBUCK — Mayor Kevin England has been elected to a second term as Chubbuck’s top government official, while Roger Hernandez defeated two-term incumbent Joshua Ellis in the race for seat two on the Chubbuck City Council.

During Tuesday’s city mayoral election, England received 64.5 percent of the vote, with a total number of 1,272 ballots cast in his favor. It was enough to soundly defeat challenger Henri “Hank” Gardiner, who received 34.99 percent of the vote, a total of 690 ballots. Ten residents cast votes for Write-In candidates.

“I am grateful to the community and the fact that they are supporting our efforts,” England said on Tuesday night. “It’s encouraging to get a stamp of approval for the direction we are going.”

In the race for Chubbuck City Council seat two, challenger Hernandez secured 51.71 percent of the vote, with a total number of 1,011 ballots cast in his favor. The incumbent, Ellis, fell short by 67 votes with 48.29 percent, which is a total of 944 ballots.

Incumbent councilman Ryan Lewis, who ran unopposed for Chubbuck City Council seat four, was re-elected with 1,783 votes.

For the four candidates in the contested races, much has been discussed over the past few months about the ongoing Northgate project.

England has called the project a “game-changer” for the area and he wants to ensure the city is prepared for economic growth and development in the future.

His opponent, Gardiner, said the local government should be careful not to play developer.

Gardiner also said elected city officials have neglected key issues in the city, which he said includes high utility rates and working to ensure the police can fight back against violent crimes and drug crimes.

In the contested city council race, Ellis spoke highly of the Northgate project, saying it will help recruit high-quality talent and high-paying jobs to the region.

Hernandez said he is concerned about future growth as it relates to the Northgate project, and he said he would like to review the basic groundwork to make sure Chubbuck can handle the projected growth coming to the area in the next five to 10 years.

Before he was first elected as Chubbuck’s mayor in 2013, England served a term on the Chubbuck City Council. Hernandez, a retired Army veteran with 30 years of service, currently works as a substitute teacher with Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25.