CARROT RIVER — Regular voting for Carrot River’s new mayor has been rescheduled for Friday, May 8.
The byelection was originally planned for Wednesday, March 25, but due to pandemic measures it had to be cancelled.
The Local Government Election Act says a new date must be set within 14 days of the postponement. The date must be within 60 days after the date of the original byelection.
The winner will have a short stint as mayor, as the next general election is on Monday, Nov. 9.
On the ballot are Ila Boehm, a current councillor, and Brock Irvine, who works in park maintenance.
Boehm was voted by Carrot River council to be acting mayor when Bob Gagné resigned for unspecified personal reasons on Nov. 14.
Boehm said there will be no big changes should she be elected.
“Right now I don’t think I would change a whole lot. Council is running well. I think just day to day business as we have been doing is probably all I would do at this moment,” she said. “Keep in mind please, things are changing rapidly with the coronavirus and we must keep that in mind when we’re deciding what to do and how to do it.”
Boehm ran her own cleaning business for a year-and-a-half, before going into retirement.
Before becoming councillor, Boehm worked as a pre-school teacher for five years, and at a pharmacy in town for 16.
Boehm said what’s important to her right now is that everyone gets out and votes who are able – whether it’s for her, or Irvine.
“Right at this point that’s really the message. Get out, vote, have your say.”
Irvine said that should he be elected, he would work with Carrot River economic development staff to try to attract outside business to the community.
“Try to get more economic growth in the community, trying to attract other businesses in town to support the ones already existing here,” Irvine said.
Irvine has a history in the field of agriculture, working for United Grain Growers for 18 years, Sask Wheat Pool for five, and five summers with Premier Horticulture. He has also spent five years working for Saskatchewan Crop Insurance.
Irvine has the additional experience of driving log trucks in the Meadow Lake area, for five winters as well as Carrot River for three.
Currently he is working at Pasquia Regional Park.
“Partly why I ran [is] I wanted to give the community a vote, rather than somebody just get in by acclamation. I don’t think somebody in a position of merit should get it by putting their name in and running and getting it by acclamation.”
