Over 100 people gathered in the Humboldt Legion Hall, with another several hundred viewing online, to see and hear the candidates for the upcoming Humboldt municipal election. Three mayoral candidates and nine of the ten council hopefuls took to the stage for a Q&A style forum sponsored by the Humboldt and District Chamber of Commerce.
The evening opened with the introduction of the candidates for the seat of mayor. Local real estate entrepreneur Andrew Breker started off with a direct statement critical of management for the City of Humboldt running the city as opposed to the council.
Harley Bentley connected with the audience promising a commitment of time to the endeavor, along with his connections to senior and youth and a hardworking and welcoming spirit.
Former mayor and current councillor Rob Muench cited his long history of volunteerism in the community, along with his wealth of experience on council and as mayor. Muench said he would rely on that experience to help navigate Humboldt through the next period of growth.
Chamber of Commerce member Joe Von Doellen provided the questions for the evening. The mayoral candidates dealt with questions on their respective visions and how they would reconcile those with budget restraints. On the topic of budgets, prospective mayors were asked to address the balance between reasonable taxation and the need for revenue. Muench maintained that through his term Humboldt exhibited the fourth lowest tax increases among Saskatchewan cities at rates just over 2%. For him it was a matter of responsible spending, combined with impending residential growth, and generating revenue through developers' levies.
Breker said more needed to be done to court developers, and he intended to make the time to meet every party interested in establishing housing or commercial business.
Bentley's take was to grow Humboldt's tax base through increased residential and commercial properties. He also shared his ideas on adjustments for options on waste collection to help save taxpayer dollars.
The mayoral hopefuls also shared thoughts on economic development, coordinated crisis management, and whether the mayor's position ought to be full time. On the latter, all three agreed that a full-time paid position was not appropriate, but each committed to making the time necessary to go beyond the minimal requirements of their duties.
The nine candidates for council then introduced themselves and fielded questions on topics ranging from regional cooperation to new building versus refurbishing existing properties.
One area where there was unanimous agreement was on the question of whether arts and culture added value to a community. All candidates concurred that those factors were important to a community and that Humboldt has a position regionally, provincially, and even nationally when it comes to recognition for its rich arts and culture heritage. Candidates also committed to supporting new facilities and programs that would foster even more cultural experiences for area residents.
However those facilities come at a cost, and many of the candidates agreed that there was a need for surrounding municipalities to chip in based on their use of Humboldt facilities which are currently supported by Humboldt taxpayers only.
Asked how candidates would ensure that their decisions and discussions were representative of all community members, the common themes of communication, learning about community endeavors, community engagement, accountability in city processes, collaboration, and consultation were all key.
Throughout the evening candidates pressed on the need for transparency in the city's dealings with ample opportunity for residents to understand decisions and have input into city planning and policy.
Council candidates on hand were Sarah McInnis, Marilyn Scott, Lee Dufort, Larry Jorgenson, Karen Siermachesky, Dave Rowe, Darcy Leonew, Clayton Armstrong, and Amanda Klitch.
Acting Director of the Chamber of Commerce Elvircia Natlazo-Vythiligngum was pleased with the turnout, both in house and online.
“I think from what I’ve seen and heard so far, the candidates were really involved and engaged with our members. The questions we set out for them were well answered, and we could all hear throughout the night about the changes we’d like to see in our growing community. I think it was a successful night, and with this crowd we can be assured there will be some voting happening on November 13.”
You can view the forum in its entirety by clicking on the following link. You are also invited to review the candidates' profiles that are available on Discover Humboldt.