There will almost always be a different look for city council following a civic election, but Estevan city council is guaranteed to have some changes following the Nov. 9 civic election.
Councillor Dennis Moore and Councillor Lyle Yanish have already confirmed with the Mercury that they won’t seek another term. Moore is one of the longest-serving members of council, as he was elected for the first time in 2009. Yanish is wrapping up his first term on council.
Councillor Shelly Veroba, who is wrapping up her first term on council, is the only incumbent to definitely run again.
Mayor Roy Ludwig, who has held the chair since 2012 and has been on council since 1994, is undecided, but says he’s leaning towards wanting another term in the role. Councillors Travis Frank, Greg Hoffort and Trevor Knibbs said they are undecided.
Veroba told the Mercury she really enjoyed being a city councillor and found the work to be very interesting. She believes she did a good job of bringing issues forward that the citizens brought to her.
With multiple new faces assured to be on council, it will be interesting to see how they gel.
“I’m not 100 per cent sure as to who all is running, but I plan to run, and I think there will be a few new faces next time,” she said.
It’s been a good council this term, because as she pointed out, they might not agree on the issues during the debate, but once the motion has passed or been defeated, they are still cordial.
“When a decision is made that comes from council, it has to be stood behind after it’s been made, because the time to have it changed is during that debate process,” she said.
Moore said he’s had 11 really good years on council, and he enjoyed the experience.
“I’m not the same person I was a few years ago with my health, and I don’t want to push it. I’ve done really well only because I have a good wife, and she looks after me, so I don’t want to push that any more than we have,” he said.
Council has accomplished a lot in this term and in the past 11 years. Moore noted he recently talked with a businesswoman on Fourth Street who is pleased with the steps taken to improve the city’s appearance, with flowers and clean streets. Moore credited Norm Mack, the manager of roads and drainage for public works, for the work he has done.
“The public works guys are doing a really good job of making things better, and now we’re hooked in with getting better sidewalks, because that was an issue that was not a concern for a really long time. That program will continue to go until we complete what we have to do.”
He claims some residents are now approaching the city, wondering when they’ll get sidewalk upgrades.
The only way he would change his mind regarding another term is if he’s not happy with the field of candidates for councillor.
“I hope we get some really good people who are interested in bettering our city, and I’m sure we will,” said Moore.
Moore would be especially pleased to see some younger people step forward to join council, but he cautioned all prospective candidates that they can’t just be one-issue candidates, that they need to take an interest in all of the issues facing Estevan.
“You have to have patient, you have to understand you’re not going to get your way all of the time and you really have to understand what the issue is before you vote on it,” he said.
Moore promised he’ll still pay close attention to anything to do with the city, and won’t be afraid to express his opinion.
Yanish said he won’t seek another term because he can’t devote the time the position requires. Since he was first elected in 2016, Yanish has switched jobs, and is now the owner of the Snap-On Tools franchise for the community.
If it weren’t for the career change, Yanish said he would run again.
The past term was a learning experience. He said he used to be one of those who would complain about the city, but then he was elected to council and realized all that goes on.
“I learned a lot on the ins and outs of how things run. I’m proud of what we accomplished in the last four years, and I look at some of the previous councils that did some really good things and we moved forward on it.”
He hopes those who like to complain about the city will step forward and try to be part of council.
The pending completion of the water intake project was a big accomplishment during this term, as it will result in cleaner water for Estevan residents. The new fire hall for the Estevan Fire Rescue Service and the addition to the Estevan Police Service building were other highlights.
“We’ve done a lot of things in this city. I’ve lived here all of my life. I’ve seen lots of improvements. It’s starting to look really nice. We have a lot of our streets getting done,” said Yanish.
He hopes the next council will continue to work on repairs to the roads.
The new people on council should not go in thinking they know it all, because they will be surprised.
Yanish was a member of the Estevan board of police commissioners for a few years before joining council, and has been part of the board the past four years. He’s uncertain whether he will want to be part of that committee, or any other city committee, because he wants to focus on his business.
The nomination period for the civic election, which includes both city council and school boards, will begin on Aug. 30. City clerk Judy Pilloud will be the returning officer, and nomination forms, which need to have at least five signatures, can be dropped off at her office.
For the first time, candidates for city council will need to have a criminal background check.
Those eligible for nomination as a candidate in the City of Estevan must be at least 18 years old on election day, be a Canadian citizen, have resided in the municipality for at least three consecutive months immediately preceding the date the nomination paper is submitted and have resided in Saskatchewan for at least six consecutive months immediately preceding the date the nomination paper is submitted.
Public disclosure is required at the time of submission of nomination papers and is posted with the nomination.
