ESTEVAN - Estevan's new city councillors will bring a blend of experience and new blood to council chambers.
Estevan voters elected the six people who will serve as councillors for the next four years during the Nov. 13 civic election. Shelly Veroba finished first in the councillor race for the third straight election, collecting 2,175 votes. Coun. Kirsten Walliser, who was the other incumbent councillor in the field, was second with 1,992 votes. Brian Johnson, who was a councillor from 2000-2016, came in third with 1,762 votes.
Dave Elliott (1,464) was fourth, Tom Mauss (1,233) was fifth and Matthew Dubowski (1,048) was sixth. All three are first-time members.
The defeated candidates were Robin Wog (995), Stephen Daniel (919), Rhyan Hagel (783) and Kevin Andrew (629).
First again
Veroba is the first candidate in more than three decades to finish first in three straight councillor elections. She was "pleasantly surprised" she was first this time, but she believes she has done a good job of representing the community over the past eight years.
In the initial months of the new term, Veroba believes it will be important to get the newcomers up to speed while finishing the downtown revitalization project on Fourth Street.
"In the spring, the finishing touches will be applied and then there will be the final lift. For next year, what I'm really interested in is hearing from the other councillors, as well what their main objectives are and what they want to see done."
She believes Perkins Street needs to be looked at during the upcoming term. Community safety will also be a priority through her work with the Estevan Community Wellness Committee.
She will be interested to see which committees she will be part of to start the term. She voiced an interest in remaining part of the St. Joseph's Hospital board and rejoining the Estevan board of police commissioners.
Veroba said she will support the new council members and mayor-elect Tony Sernick.
A second term
Walliser said she is excited to be back on council for a second term, and she hopes she can be a mentor for the new members.
"I really appreciated all of the insight that [former] councillor [Travis] Frank and Councillor Veroba gave me early on, trying to just get my feet under myself, and I hope I can do the same for the new council," said Walliser.
Everyone on the previous council had a unique perspective and a different way of looking at the challenges that came, she said, and Walliser believes council has that same composition this time, with their own voices in the community.
During the campaign, Walliser said she heard lots of questions about the future of the community, and the role innovation and the Southeast TechHub will play.
She is looking forward to the budgeting process because it gives council the chance to hear from managers and third-party groups about their priorities. She is also eager to take the document into the community so people can see what it means for Estevan and the city's finances.
Walliser said she now feels more comfortable going out, meeting new people and making the most of opportunities to hear new ideas from other municipalities about what has worked well or what challenges they're seeing.
Back after eight years
Johnson rejoins council after an eight-year hiatus. Since the 2016 election, he has continued to track council and decided now was the time to put his name forward.
People he talked to during the election campaign said they were undecided on who they should vote for. He couldn't answer them because he didn't know who he was voting for either.
"We had such a good allotment of people who put their names forward," said Johnson. "It was hard for me to make a decision on a few of the candidates," said Johnson.
A lot of people he talked to were concerned about how their tax dollars were being spent and they wanted more transparency from council.
When he was defeated in 2016, Johnson decided to focus on some of the other projects he had at the time, and it was a nice break from municipal politics. Now he's fully retired and has extra time to dedicate to council.
Johnson believes the new council will need to work together as a team, share ideas, and find some common ground if there are differences.
If training is offered for the new council members, Johnson said he would take it to see if there's anything he can learn.
Fourth time's a charm
Elliott was elected in his fourth attempt at council. He previously ran in the 2003 and 2006 civic elections, and a 2005 councillor by-election. He said it feels good to be on city council, although his previous defeats didn't make this election victory any more special.
People he spoke to told him the city needed a change, and he believes a lot of the frustration is connected to the downtown revitalization project.
Elliott said he has no agenda, and he hopes he will be able to do a good job for the city.
He expects there will be a steep learning curve on some fronts, but not so much on others.
"The biggest thing will be dealing with the budget, which is the first thing that I think is coming up for us. That will be a hurdle," said Elliott.
He said he has dealt with mayor-elect Sernick in the past through their employment in the oilfield. He has also known Veroba for years.
Learning curve expected
Mauss said he has never been a part of anything like council before. He heard comments about taxes and the downtown revitalization project during the campaign, and there were questions about a potential third arena.
He heard complaints about the previous council, but didn't agree with all of them.
"I'm actually very positive with what's happened with the city in the past few years. It looks really good," said Mauss.
He expects there will be a steep learning curve when it comes to being on council, but he is looking forward to it.
Mauss expects the budget will be the biggest issue facing city council at first, and he anticipates the downtown project and the third ice facility will also be discussed. He is looking forward to talking about things and dispelling the negativity he hears from some citizens.
"Estevan is starting to look, optically, a lot better than when my wife and I first moved here. "When we first moved here five years ago, the downtown was in a rather sad state, and it's really starting to look better. The mall is starting to look better."
A young voice
Dubowski is believed to be the youngest person ever elected to city council at age 26. He said it's good to have the opportunity to be on council at such a young age.
People who talked to him during the campaign expressed concerns with the budget and how the city would be able to fund the services and amenities that contribute to making Estevan a good place to live, while resuming the efforts to reduce the debt.
He has had some past dealings with Veroba, Walliser and Sernick.
"I started going to council meetings last year, started talking to them and then I decided I would run, so that was the extent of my relationships with any of them."
He knows there will be a steep learning curve, and it will be very different from watching council as an observer.
"A lot of the behind-the-doors stuff and how everything works behind the scenes, and how everything keeps running, it will be definitely steep and I need to get some information going in my head."
Dubowski wants to see the downtown project wrapped up as smoothly as possible early in the term, and he wants the different communities around Estevan to feel heard and understood.
