Chris Wyatt, who currently sits on Yorkton Council, and is a former Mayor, wants the big chair back.
Friday morning Wyatt who sat as Mayor for one term, then ran again for a Council seat, held a press conference Friday morning in front of the City’s Public Works building on York Road to formally declare his mayoral candidacy.
The location was chosen for a reason.
Wyatt said the Public Works Building is 50 years old, and no longer meets the needs of the city. That means a new building.
“It needs to get done,” he said.
Wyatt said the Public Works Building is not the only building that the City has which is showing its age, pointing to upgrades needed at the Kinsmen Arena and parks department shop as well.
Such projects will of course cost money, at a time when the City is also dealing with aging roads, waterlines, and the needs being addressed to deal with flooding. However, Wyatt said he believes there is money to be saved within the City’s current operations.
He noted when he was first elected as a Councillor 16 years ago the City operated with 99 full time employees. Today the number is 178, not counting RCMP.
“The City has not grown by 80 per cent,” he said, adding if elected Mayor he will be reviewing City staffing with an eye to cost savings.
“I’d work with the new Council to make that happen,” he said.
Along the same lines, Wyatt said he would be in favour of freezing the wages of Mayor and Councillors.
In terms of buildings, Wyatt said he also wants to start the process of funding a new hospital.
“There’s already a plan in place,” he said, and while there has been no indication when the project might move forward, when it does a portion of the cost will need to be raised locally.
“We need something in place,” he said, adding that by beginning the process now a larger tax increase to fund the local portion may be avoided later on.
Wyatt said he is excited by what this municipal election could bring to the City, noting a number of younger candidates who could offer much in the way of ideas and exuberance in the Council chamber.
That said, Wyatt was quick to note that a veteran presence from among the five incumbents would be an asset, noting in particular the work of Councillors Randy Goulden and James Wilson.
“It would be a really good blend,” he said.
