Four years is not enough for the Hanover councillor who was once told he would never get anything accomplished.
Ward Four Councillor John Giesbrecht, who refers to himself as "a bit of a fighter", has announced his intentions to run for re-election.
Hanover's Ward Four consists of communities such as Pansy, Sarto and Friedensfeld. Giesbrecht, who was first elected in the 2018 election, clearly remembers what one ratepayer told him while campaigning that year.
"As I was campaigning the first one there, I was told that I would get nothing accomplished as a councillor," he recalls. "And I found that a rather interesting comment. Contrary to that I feel like I've actually managed to get a lot accomplished with hard work of course."
Giesbrecht admits there is a steep learning curve during the first year as a councillor. But, thanks to his extensive background in business, Giesbrecht considers himself a quick learner.
"It's not a problem for me to try and get things accomplished that some people might think are impossible," he adds.
Giesbrecht, who says he has really enjoyed the first four years as councillor says one of the projects he feels he helped bring to fruition, was repaving a mile and a half of Road 35E from Friedensfeld Hall north. Giesbrecht says he also managed to get Road 31E rebuilt in the full mile going past Deerwood Bay and then this summer was successful in getting the first half mile paved from Ridge Road south.
"My ultimate goal is to get it paved all the way to Deerwood Bay, there is a very large community in there," he says. "(I) have felt for the last 20 years that community needed asphalt going to it, ever since I lived there."
In his four years on council, Giesbrecht says he has served on nearly every committee and as a result has a really good idea of what Hanover is like.
If re-elected, Giesbrecht says there are a few things in particular that he would like to accomplish. First of all, he says drainage is a high priority and yet he feels Ward Four is often the last part of the municipality to get touched.
"(Ward Four) has been typically sort of forgotten in a lot of ways," suggests Giesbrecht. "So that's a big goal of mine is to improve drainage, which I've already managed to get a lot of it done, but there is still a lot more to do."
He notes another goal is to see Road 31E repaved all the way to Deerwood Bay road, though he admits that may be a lofty challenge to see that work completed within four years. Another priority is improving gravel roads.
Giesbrecht says he loves serving people and has really enjoyed the last four years. He notes he would love a chance to serve four more years, stressing that if the people of Ward Four vote him in, he will work for them.
"I'm here to work for the people, I'm not here to work for the RM of Hanover," says Giesbrecht. "It's the people that vote you in, if you get in, and that's who I owe my loyalties to."