ESTEVAN - Matthew Dubowski might be the youngest candidate in the field for Estevan city council in the 2024 civic election, as he is just 26 years old, but he says he has come to appreciate the community.
"I'd really love to have the privilege to be a part of continuing the city's great legacy that it has and the history, and just continue on with making it a really good place and desirable place to not only move to, but live and continue living in and grow old in," said Dubowski, who was born and raised in the Energy City.
Dubowski said he decided to run in the Nov. 13 civic election because he has seen a division in the community, and believes there are different groups of people who don't feel safe. He wants to work towards allowing everyone to feel safe, welcome, cared for and loved in the city.
There have been a few incidents in the past few years that left him wondering if the city had the proper supports, such as mental health.
"I want to make the community better and safer for everyone so that everyone feels welcome here," said Dubowski.
He wants to see the downtown revitalization project completed. He said there have been a lot of "hiccups" with the project, with unforeseen price increases, powerful storms and other weather challenges.
"It's really put a wrench in things, so I would like to see that done, completed, and over the next four years improved upon so that what the original people had envisioned for downtown really makes it a point of beauty in Estevan."
Dubowski has not run for public office before, and so this is a new experience for him. When he was in school, he said he viewed politics as having a negative connotation, and it shouldn't be discussed. Over the past four or five years, he has started to understand the importance of politics at different levels, including municipal. He has been paying closer attention in the past year or two.
"It really directly affects all of our lives, and it really goes quite a ways to making just our environmental conditions and general happiness better, and so the last few years, I've really begun to appreciate all of that," said Dubowski.
