It’s been three months since the 2020 municipal election and Moose Jaw’s three new city councillors have learned more about the city’s inner workings than they even realized existed.
Coun. Jamey Logan, Coun. Kim R. Robinson and Coun. Doug Blanc were elected during the Nov. 9 municipal election after 5,814 total voters cast their ballots. Logan received the most votes with 3,858 votes, followed by Robinson with 2,195 votes and Blanc with 2,132 votes.
The Moose Jaw Express spoke with each councillor to get his opinion on how the first 90 days have gone.
The first three months
“It’s a heckuva lot more than I thought going in,” Logan said. “I knew it was a big job, but it’s a lot. There’s a lot to it and a heckuva lot more irons in the fire than I anticipated. But I’m getting my head around it now.”
Being a new councillor has been a learning curve, but it’s been a good experience, said Blanc. He hopes that he has offered constructive comments during council’s discussions.
“It has been a little more intense. We crammed a bunch of orientation in a little bit, so it was pretty busy,” echoed Robinson. “I think it’s good that they spend that much time orienting the new people.”
Robinson added that he is settling into his role nicely since he listened more than he spoke during the first few meetings.
A challenging financial task
All three men agreed that approving the 2021 budget was challenging since it came right after the November election and was an almost overwhelming process. However, approving the 2022 budget should be easier since they now know more.
“It’s a bit of an eye-opener, in that I wanted to hold the line (in 2021),” said Robinson, “but when you see the whole picture, it’s very difficult to be able to do that without looking forward to future infrastructure needs.”
Since the budget, Logan has enjoyed everything he has experienced, including the council team, speaking with residents, and learning more about the city’s inner workings.
“I think a lot of people sit back and assume (that) you see the city, but you don’t realize how big it is and how many working parts there are to it,” he added. “So, just when I got to have a look at how broad that scope is, it was really surprising. I had no idea how big the machine was.”
Blanc has also appreciated speaking with residents and with how quickly city hall has dealt with some concerns. Similarly, he has enjoyed learning about what each department does at city hall.
Being on the ground and learning what’s happening in the city is enjoyable, including understanding how city hall works and the size of employee groups, said Robinson. He also thought this council has worked well together and has good camaraderie.
A bridge over troubled waters
Handling the Seventh Avenue Southwest bridge situation was interesting, especially since it has been a divisive issue and hit a nerve throughout the community, the three councillors agreed.
Blanc thought the structure needs to be addressed, even though it should have been fixed years ago.
“Initially, I thought, ‘Well, this is an easy fix. Let’s just go in there and fix the bridge,’” said Robinson. “But once we got engineering involved — and there’s certainly a lot of feelings (where) residents have a vested interest — some of the costs involved were a bit of a surprise to me … .”
Other issues that have stood out for the councillors include snow removal, managing infrastructure, roads, maintaining city-owned buildings, and the communications methods — print, digital, or radio — that council and city hall use to reach residents.
“The more citizens are informed of what’s happening in the city, the better they can relate to the city council and the direction they would like us to see,” said Blanc. “It’s an improvement all the way around.”
Future objectives
Navigating the coronavirus pandemic — including supporting struggling residents — is the most pressing issue the community faces, the three councillors said, along with maintaining existing buildings and structures.
For Robinson, he is looking forward to helping the municipality with its economic recovery. This includes working with tourism and the downtown business association on an economic development strategy.
“(There are) a number of interesting things that, if they come to fruition in Moose Jaw, would be great for us here,” he said, pointing to the geothermal project as one example.
An enjoyable experience
Working as a councillor has been enjoyable, said Logan, especially since he likes to have his “finger on the pulse” of what’s happening and can do that at the council table.
Blanc has reached out to former councillors to ask them questions about past decisions to better understand those situations. Meanwhile, he believes the current council co-operates well.
“It’s a little more difficult (to be a councillor) than I thought, but somebody said that it don’t matter what decision you make, half the residents will think you’re a genius and the other half think you’re an idiot,” Robinson said. “So you can’t please everybody.
“But the entire mayor and council are there because we all think we can make a difference and that’s why we’re doing it.”
