MOOSE JAW — Kelly Baxter is looking forward to serving as the newest member of Moose Jaw’s Board of Police Commissioners, especially since she enjoys public service and believes her social services background will prove useful.
The Moose Jaw Police Service hosted a swearing-in ceremony on July 2 to officially welcome Baxter onto the board after former commissioner Nicole Swanson resigned in June for personal reasons.
The swear-in ceremony was brief, with Baxter reading her oath of office and then signing the appropriate documents, all under the watchful eye of Judge Brian Hendrickson.
“I’m very passionate about our community here in Moose Jaw, and I’m just wanting to learn and grow … and have a different opportunity to serve the public,” Baxter said afterward.
“(Serving on the police board is) a different opportunity (and) a step away from what I normally do for public service, so I’m just excited to get involved and assist the community.”
Baxter grew up in Raymore and moved to Moose Jaw with her family in 2009. She has been employed in the public service field for 24 years as a social worker for the provincial government.
Other community activities in which Baxter participates include supporting her kids’ sports teams and coaching several youth basketball teams.
As a police commissioner, Baxter hopes she can help the board influence and direct the police service, although she didn’t have any specific examples she wanted to address. With a chuckle, she added that she first needed to read a thick file folder about being a police commissioner before she made any suggestions.
The police board is legislated to find a replacement for an empty position within 30 days of that vacancy, so the City of Moose Jaw’s city clerks’ office moved quickly to advertise the position and acquire applicants, explained Commissioner Crystal Froese, board chairwoman.
“The police commission is an enormous part of the overall city budget, but also, obviously, the impact they have on safety throughout the community too,” she said. “So, there’s a lot in this portfolio, both public and in-camera.
“Our police … are excellent at their jobs, but there are definitely challenges on our streets here in Moose Jaw,” Froese continued. “So, it’s really important to have a group of commissioners that come from different walks of life that can feed into information and help guide the whole process.
“So we’re really happy to see that we have Kelly Baxter on (the board),” the board chairwoman added. “She comes with a diverse … skillset from a different background than anyone else, and I think it will be a good addition to the team.”
It may be the summer, but the board will start reviewing the police service’s 2025 budget in mid-July since plenty of preparation goes into it before the agency presents it to city council in November, Froese said. Opening the budget will give the board an idea of where the police service is spending money, how certain line items are doing and whether changes are required for efficiency.
The board chairwoman added that she was thankful that Judge Hendrickson could attend the swearing-in ceremony on short notice since he also has a busy schedule.
