There are many reasons to celebrate for the Stewart and Caswell families tonight.
Courtney Stewart made the cut in the Swift Current city council election, while her father Ron Caswell is newly elected to the Chinook School Division Board.
"Congrats to my dad. I see he's on the school board," Stewart said. "I guess this means our Friday night hangouts might be kind of boring with us on our laptops. Should be a lot of fun."
Stewart's election is a significant turnaround after she finished 14th in the 2020 council election.
"I'm really excited," she said. "It's really nice that people feel confident in my skills and abilities, and I hope to work hard and live up to that.
"I actually had no idea you're in such a bubble when you're running, because you only hear from the people who like you. So, it feels like everyone's voting for you. But it might just be the same 20 people you keep seeing. I'm very excited."
Now the focus turns to the work she can do at the council table.
"I'm very excited to see a new facility get started," Stewart said. "Recently, I've been focusing on some transportation issues and researching a new grant that the Government of Canada has that could maybe help out the citizens of Swift Current. So I have lots of ideas and I'm ready to learn from the incumbents and get started."
As for her father getting elected on the same night, Stewart reflected back on their conversations about service when she was growing up.
"Not so much politics specifically, but community building and being part of the community," she noted. "My dad was in service clubs growing up and now I am so. Supporting and building community has always been really important to our families, so it is no surprise to see both of us here yet."
Caswell was one of three candidates elected to the Chinook School Division Board out of Swift Current along with Tim Ramage and Dianne Hahn.
