WEYBURN - The last member of Weyburn city council to declare intentions for the election, John Corrigan, announced Monday night he will be seeking a second term.
All of his fellow council members will be running, with the exception of Mel Van Betuw, including Ryan Janke, Laura Morrissette and Larry Heggs, with Jeff Richards and Marcel Roy running for the mayor’s seat.
Nominations open today, Sept. 25, and close on Oct. 9, with the election day on Nov. 13. Other candidates who have declared so far include Kellie Sidloski, Todd Bedore and Dana Pretzer.
Corrigan said there was a steep learning curve at the start, likening it to starting at a crawl as he learned how things work at the municipal government level. He was familiar with the principles of governance through his involvement on the Weyburn Golf Club and Red Wings boards, and through his professional association, but there was still a lot to learn about how things are done at City Hall.
Of his time on city council, he said, “It’s been an honour to serve the people of Weyburn. I’ve grown up here, was born and raised here, and it’s been nice to give back to the community and see it flourish.”
“We have a great leadership team and excellent staff, and they able to plan projects and move them forward,” added Corrigan.
He likes the direction Weyburn is going right now, noting the city has been making some major investments in infrastructure, including roads, water and sewer upgrades.
“These aren’t flashy, but it’s stuff that needs to be done,” he said, adding he is also seeing some continuing growth in city businesses.
“It amazes me to see how many small businesses have opened here in the last while,” said Corrigan, noting the mall is a concern for him. As the city does not own the property, they can’t tell the owners what to do with it, but he is hoping it can be part of the downtown revitalization plans that council has been working on.
In addition, the city needs to have plans for their own facilities which have finite lifespans, such as the indoor pool, which is closed due to a leakage issue. They need to figure out when other facilities will need upgrades or replacement, like Crescent Point Place for example.
“The money we spend is the money of taxpayers, and we have to be responsible for it,” said Corrigan.
Now that he has a full term under his belt, he feels if he is re-elected to council this fall, he can hit the ground running, taking the experience and lessons of the last four years as he looks to move forward and work towards the future of the community.
