The Moose Jaw Express/MooseJawToday.com sent out a questionnaire to each of the candidates running to be the next mayor of Moose Jaw. We will be publishing these results in order they were received.
The mayoral byelection is set for Wednesday, Nov. 3.
What would be your top priority as mayor?
There are a number of things that need to be addressed, but if I had to choose a top priority, it would be a greater accountability to the taxpayers.
What would you like to accomplish or see happen in your first 100 days?
While on the campaign, I’ve been listening to the citizens to get a perspective on what they think are the priorities that need to be addressed: road conditions, snow “removal,” condition of parks and sports venues, tax assessments, wasteful spending, garbage collection, homelessness/addictions, and property beautification to name a few.
In my first 100 days as mayor, I intend to meet with the city manager, the union reps, different departments heads, supervisors, all the way down to the employees holding the shovels on the street. I want to find out what the culture is among the city workers and emergency service providers. We need to value the knowledge and experience of the front-line workers and use it to the advantage of the taxpayers in the overall productivity of city operations.
In short, I want to listen to the employees and get their perspective on the city’s needs and how best to address the priorities of the taxpayers.
How can city council be more transparent in its decision making?
I would like to develop a system in which councillors are assigned an area of the city. Each would be responsible to meet with citizens and community organizations to hear the concerns from their area. This information would be brought back to city council to be discussed before any decisions are made. This type of system will increase transparency and accountability and ensure that the citizens voices are being incorporated in decision-making.
What do you think about city council spending more on projects than it budgeted for this year?
In some situations, overspending cannot be avoided. It may occur because of unforeseen situations/maintenance. For example, currently the city budget accounts for only five snowfalls per year; what if there were six? Overspending may also occur because of financial fluctuations. For example, with the recent pandemic, we have seen building materials and fuel cost escalate. These would be considered acceptable over-expenditures.
However, we seem to have an ongoing problem with wasteful spending causing delays to other more prominent needs. For example, several city streets have been dug up and repaved multiple times. Another example would be the decision to tear down a bridge that could easily have been used for years as a pedestrian-only bridge. In this case, this decision could be a by-product of poor or ill-advised decision making.
Do you think that community beautification initiatives are necessary and should be spent out of surplus funds?
Yes, beautification initiatives are necessary. We need to invest in our city; if we don’t, who will? Yes, these initiatives could be paid out of surplus funds when we get rid of the wasteful spending.
Your job is to represent everyone in the city. How do you plan to represent people who do not vote for you?
Opposition is important; it keeps people accountable. Councillors are supposed to represent all citizens and not just the ones who agree with them.
What issue doesn't receive enough attention in Moose Jaw?
I would have to say parks and rec. Most visitors to a city judge it on the condition of their parks, and attention to ours is long-overdue.
What issue receives too much attention?
I see that there are two aspects to this question: attention conversationally, and attention financially. People are continually complaining about our roads. We’ll stop that talking when we start doing. Some projects receive too much attention monetarily. The recent back-to-back “bailouts” for Mosaic Place food contractor Spectra was unfortunate.
What informs your political stance?
My core values drive me to research the issues at hand. I like to look at each situation and form an argument from both sides by collecting facts. Sometimes people try to sell you a bouquet of flowers; from a distance they look good but when you get close you can see they’re planted in manure. Everything must pass the sniff test.
What is something people don't know about you?
My first job was a dishwasher at Sam’s Lunch when I was in my early teens.
