Estevan city council will have three new faces in the upcoming term.
Shelly Veroba, Travis Frank and Lyle Yanish were elected as councillors during the Oct. 26 civic election. They will join incumbent councillors Greg Hoffort, Trevor Knibbs and Dennis Moore.
Two other incumbents, Kevin Smith and Brian Johnson, were defeated. Cameron Robock was the other candidate in the field.
Veroba finished first in the councillor race with 1,924 votes, which translated to 77.6 per cent support from the 2,477 people who voted.
She admitted she was surprised to collect the most votes.
“I was hoping to finish in the top six, so finishing in first place was very nice,” Veroba said in an interview with the Mercury. “I believe that I have to work hard in the next four years, so that if in the next election, I finish first again, that would be a true honour.”
This wasn’t the first time Veroba had run for council. In 2005, she ran in a councillor byelection, and came in third out of six candidates.
“In 2005, it was just something I felt I had a desire to do, and I wanted to give it a shot,” said Veroba. “This time I was truly confident in knowing that I would do a good job.”
People she talked to during the campaign discussed such issues as property taxes, infrastructure needs and activities in the community. They also voiced support on a number of fronts, including changes to the management team.
She is concerned that sewer and water drainage systems are still connected in some areas of the city, and Veroba believes it needs to change.
Hoffort finished first in the 2012 councillor election, and came in second this time with 1,749 votes (70.6 per cent). He believes there was a really strong field for councillor, and it reflected in the results, with less than 600 votes separating first from eighth place.
“People had some good choices to choose from this time, and they came out and voted,” said Hoffort. “And that’s what we love about our process. The people get to decide who will represent them.”
The new council should be strong, he said, and he is looking forward to working with the new councillors.
At the same time, he will miss Johnson and Smith’s contributions in council chambers.
Hoffort predicted the budget will be a key issue for council to tackle in the next couple months. They will also have to continue to pay down the debt.
“The exciting thing is we have an extremely solid and motivated management group in the city, and things like our roads, our parks, our recreation services, our financial management and emergency services are all in really good hands, and they’re going to continue to build on the work they’ve done in the last few years,” said Hoffort.
Knibbs finished third with 1,694 votes (68.3) per cent, earning him his first full term on city council. He was elected in a byelection in April 2014.
He expects his 2 1/2 years of council experience will help during the upcoming term.
“I know exactly what to expect, and with the plan we have moving forward, I think we’ll be able to get everyone on board,” said Knibbs.
He is also looking forward to working with the new members of city council.
“They ran for a reason, and I’m sure they have their heart in the right place,” said Knibbs. “I’m sure they have something they want to do, and I’m excited to see what their plan is moving forward.”
He encourages the new council members to be confident when they bring their point across, and to be ready to learn about their roles and their responsibilities. There is a steep learning curve for at least the first year, as they find out how the city runs.
Knibbs predicted the new council will have to focus on economic development, and decide whether they want to hire a new employee at the helm of that division.
Frank came in fourth with 1,553 votes (62.6 per cent support). He is excited with the opportunity of joining council, and tackling the issues facing the city.
“I definitely expect a huge learning curve,” said Frank. “I don’t underestimate that at all. I definitely will be reliant on the existing councillors. All of us new councillors are reliant on the existing councillors to give us the rundown and introduce us to everything over the next year so we feel comfortable before making any decisions.”
Frank has watched and monitored council closely over the years, but he knows there is still a lot to learn.
Prior to election day, Frank was confident that he would be joining council, but he knew it wasn’t a guarantee.
Frank hopes he can bring a young voice to council. At age 28, he is likely one of the youngest people ever elected to city council.
“Unfortunately, since age is not a requirement for somebody to give to run for council, we’re not sure that we’ll ever be able to prove it, but we can definitely confirm that I’m the youngest person in the last 20 years to be elected,” said Frank.
Yanish finished just behind Frank with 1,540 votes (62.1 per cent support). It was about where he expected to finish, since he knew he wouldn’t finish first, but he was confident he would be elected.
“People were talking to me about infrastructure and taxes, and moving forward with keeping our city up to date,” said Yanish. “They liked what currently has happened with making the city cleaner, and making the city more appealing. Lots of people were saying they want to keep doing that.”
Yanish has spent several years on the Estevan board of police commissioners, and he expects that experience will help with his adjustment, since he gained some familiarity with procedures and protocol.
Still, he recognizes there will be a big learning curve, and he will need to spend several months learning about municipal politics.
“I know they’ll teach us as we move forward,” said Yanish. “I’m glad it’s not a whole new council. It’s a 50/50 split with new and … old.”
Yanish would like to remain with the police board, and continue to show support for members of the Estevan Police Service.
Moore claimed the sixth and final councillor seat, receiving 1,530 votes (61.7 per cent). It was a drop in support for him, as he finished first in 2009 and second in 2012.
As the most tenured of the six councillors, with seven years on council, he expects his experience will be an asset.
“We have to display to the new people that there are ways and regulations and rules to follow, and how to get involved and pursue an issue,” said Moore.
He is pleased to see some young people have taken an interest in politics, and were able to get elected.
“I think it makes for a well-balanced council, and it leaves the rest of us to help them come along with the things they are interested in,” said Moore. “At the same time, they’re going to prove there are things they are interested in, and our job will be to support them. As a group, we should blend really well.”
The new council will need to address the condition of King Street. Not only does it need to be resurfaced, but it needs to be widened from Petterson Drive to Pine Avenue. Council also needs to address residential routes such as Duncan Road, and they need to repair sidewalks.
As for the other candidates, Smith finished seventh with 1,387 votes (56.7 per cent support), followed by Johnson with 1,333 votes (53.9 per cent). Robock was ninth at 314, or 12.7 per cent of the vote.
