NORTH BATTLEFORD — So much “excitement” from waves of elections colliding in this busy season, said City Mayor David Gillan, who confirmed in April that he will not be seeking re-election this year.
The City of North Battleford will begin accepting municipal nomination papers from Sept. 25 to Oct. 9.
“Your voice is important,” City Manager Randy Patrick said, speaking of the responsibilities of the council at a public candidate information session last Thursday with an attendance of around 10 people.
The session, joined by Mayor David Gillan, Coun. Kelli Hawtin and Coun. Bill Ironstand, was held at the city public library to discuss the transparency, checks and balances of the municipal election process with the public.
“This is democracy. You represent the people. If you come (to the council meetings) unprepared, the people are unprepared. Not something that should happen,” said Patrick from his 15 years of experience working with municipal governments.
With the new Campaign Disclosure & Spending Limits Bylaw entering into effect Jul. 15 regulating election campaigns, this year the City took a big step toward election integrity, following on a commitment from the current council to hold a fair election and involve the public in local government.
The bylaw sets spending limits for candidates, which requires all spendings to be reported—$10,117.50 for mayoral candidates and $5,058.75 for council candidates—and outlines rules for reporting expenses and campaign signs.
Complaints about campaign disclosures are handled by the Battlefords RCMP Detachment. Penalties for violations are similar to those in other municipalities in the province, with fines specifically related to campaign signage.
Election signs cannot be placed on city property, such as City Hall or nearby areas. Signs may be posted on residential properties with the owner's permission.
“We want to have lots of candidates. It's important to have the public make a good choice,” Gillan said. “Hopefully, that [the new bylaw] translates into lots of people participating in the election. Not just candidates, but also people voting.”
Candidates need at least five people to serve as nominators as part of their nomination package. While it isn’t necessary, the session noted that it may be prudent for candidates to have extra nominators, in the instance that someone does not qualify as a nominator for a candidate. The two witnesses on the nomination form must be eligible voters for the North Battleford municipal election and cannot be related to the candidate. For those thinking of running for mayor, it's important to know that the mayor earns about three times more than city councillors, with a projected 2025 salary of slightly more than $87,000, compared to a councillor’s projected 2025 salary of approximately $30,600 per year.
Though the duty takes efforts “between the meetings,” Gillan added.So what does it take to manage a $40-million legal corporation and oversee around 170 employees?
“We need to commit time,” Gillan said. “It doesn't happen like just going to a meeting, because the meetings are really the culmination of the work.”
“I don't think there's anything more embarrassing than being on camera and walking in without realizing what's in the package. We all forget things sometimes; it’s just part of it [being a council member],” added Patrick.
To respond adequately to tests such as fighting against crimes as a city, Patrick said, which is coupled with mental health and poverty issues and so on, demands “a complete package” of solutions to solve these “wicked problems”.
He noted that council work often goes unrecognized: “There are some things that people think that you do all the time, (such as) solving the homeless issue — We can do a little bit, but we can't do it all (that needs collaboration from different levels of government).”
“What ability would the council have for lobbying, let's say the provincial government, for changes?” asked a participant.
Once elected, council members will immediately start their term and training by drafting a new four-year strategic plan heading into 2025, while collaborating with their six fellow council members to discuss and refine the ideas they campaigned on.
The election day is Nov. 13, with advance and special polls taking place in early November.
