Rhyan Hagel hopes his first foray into municipal politics will result in him being elected as the mayor of Estevan.
Hagel filed his nomination papers on Sept. 20. He is part of a three-candidate field that also includes incumbent mayor Roy Ludwig and fellow challenger James Halladay.
And even though Hagel is running for council for the first time, he told the Mercury that he believes he has a lot to offer to the community.
“I believe as the mayor you can help guide (the city), and with advice of the council, you can help to better the community and increase the growth of Estevan,” said Hagel.
He did consider running for councillor, and then going for mayor in a future election, but Hagel described himself as “ambitious,” and he wants to be the mayor.
Hagel, 26, was born and raised in Estevan, and has extensive roots in the Energy City. He graduated from the Estevan Comprehensive School (ECS) in 2008, and cited his time at the Comp. for helping him develop a love of history.
After graduating from ECS, he obtained a bachelor of arts in history and anthropology from the University of Brandon, and then a degree in history from Northwestern Oklahoma State University. He has also worked in the local coal mines and the oil field, which not only helped him pay for his education, but also helped him gain insight into local industries.
“It was in Oklahoma that I took a heavier course load of political science classes that developed my interest in politics, and influenced my decision to run for mayor of Estevan,” he said.
While he is currently unemployed, he does hope to one day obtain a PhD in history.
He sees some people his age who are struggling due to the economy, and Hagel wants to be able to help them.
When he travelled to the U.S. for his schooling, he saw many communities that have a truck bypass, similar to the one that was finished north of Estevan last year.
These communities have had their businesses shut down, since there isn’t as much traffic passing through.
“What I want to do is prevent that from happening in Estevan,” said Hagel. “In the days of old, the trains used to govern which towns would stay alive, and then as the 20th century moved along, semis determined that path.
“I want to make sure that if this bypass is here, then Estevan will continue to grow and prosper without any inconvenience to the economy.”
At the same time, he predicted the bypass should take away some of the strain on Estevan’s roads, which means money can be spent on other infrastructure projects.
Council also needs to encourage new types of businesses to come to the community.
Hagel tracked the happenings of council as much as he could while he was out of the city, but didn’t get as much information as he would have liked. Council has done some good things on some fronts.
He also wants to give young people a voice, and create more interest in politics among them.
“As the old vanguard starts to hand down the torch, if the new generation doesn’t want to accept it, how are we going to rightfully govern the next generations that are rising up?” he askedSome of his friends were stunned with his plan to run for mayor.
Hagel hopes to one day raise a family of his own in southeast Saskatchewan, and he believes the best way to improve the community is to run for mayor.
