The second-most important step in the municipal election process, the Chamber of Commerce’s all-candidates forum, will be taking place on Monday, Oct. 17, at the Weyburn Legion Hall starting at 7 p.m., and is the prime opportunity for the voters of Weyburn to hear directly from all of the candidates.
The City of Weyburn has one of the largest slates of candidates in many years, with 14 vying for the six council seats, and two are contesting for mayor.
Clearly the level of interest is high in this year’s city election, and this should translate into a healthy turnout of voters on election day, which is Wednesday, Oct. 26.
In order for voters to make an intelligent and informed choice on election day, particularly if they don’t know every candidate or what they stand for, it is imperative to be in attendance at the forum to hear their answers to the questions posed by the host, the Weyburn Chamber of Commerce, and by the public from the floor.
It is also an opportunity to meet the candidates in person, and to find out if they are worthy of your support on election day, or at the very least, find out a little about them and who they are, and why they are running for council.
There is a healthy mix of both incumbent members of council and new candidates, who would like to bring some fresh ideas and new blood to the council table.
With this slate of candidates, voters should know they don’t necessarily need to choose six for council — but they do have to cast a ballot for at least one councillor, and one mayoral candidate.
Each resident, worker and business owner knows what is important to them, their family and/or business in Weyburn, whether it’s the level of taxes they pay, the availability of services and utilities, or the state and availability of facilities for recreation and culture in this city. Considering all of these things, including the state of the roads and sidewalks they use every day, they ought to be able to formulate questions or list their concerns, and then put these to the candidates to find out what their stance is.
This election may prove to be a very important one as Weyburn looks to renew its economy after the recent slump due to poor oil prices, and there are important projects and services that the city is working and preparing to develop, such as the new water reservoir and a possible new field house in conjunction with a new elementary school. Come out and raise your concerns, voters! — Greg Nikkel
