Moose Jaw resident Dwayne St. Dennis has decided to run for one of the six city council positions during the upcoming elections because he is not happy with the direction the city is headed or the level of communication from the current council.
“The only thing we can do is change it ourselves,” said St. Dennis. “Council hasn’t been following their mandate of listening to the people and doing what they say, in my eyes.”
St. Dennis originally moved to Moose Jaw as a child and previously worked as an ironworker, carpenter, realtor, paralegal and as support staff at Valley View Centre. He also owned a taxi business in Lethbridge and was the president of the local Métis Nation for several years in Moose Jaw.
In his bid for city council, St. Dennis would like to see a few issues within city hall addressed that he feels are of concern to the citizens of Moose Jaw.
St. Dennis said he wants city council to be more responsible when spending tax money on infrastructure projects, focusing on the maintenance of existing buildings like the YMCA rather than demolition and new building projects. He also noted that better road maintenance should be a priority, as well as pre-emptive road upgrades.
"The city seems to operate, a lot of times, by waiting until they're backed up into a corner before they act [on issues]," said St. Dennis.
He would also call for a re-evaluation of the city’s wages for municipal workers, resulting in an increase or decrease in wages according to skills and responsibilities as many city employees perform duties in numerous capacities.
In regards to the subdivision development in Wakamow Valley, St. Dennis felt that the city hasn’t provided enough information on the project despite being in conversation with the developer for a while. He also noted that he thinks council should be focusing more on existing infrastructure concerns, like the rehabilitation of the Seventh Avenue Bridge.
St. Dennis has attended many council meetings over the years and said he wants to see more community members doing the same in the future, as increased community engagement would be a positive for the city.
If elected, St. Dennis feels that his experience in team building and motivation to better the city for current and future generations of residents will be assets on city council.
"I'm well-rounded, and I've lived and worked here [and] I'm not in this just for myself," said St. Dennis. "'I'd rather everybody get ahead, than just myself, and I don't want to leave anybody behind."
The municipal election will take place on Nov. 9.
