For Weyburn City Councillor Ryan Janke, the past four years have been challenging and exciting, which is why he plans to run in the upcoming municipal election.
"If the city will have me, I will definitely give four more," he said. "I'm really proud of some of the work that was done even at the very beginning of solving our infrastructure problems. I know there's lots more work to be done on that and I want to see most of that through. We are moving in the right direction on that, which is positive because I know for a long time there were concerns that it was hard to remember the last time you'd seen the street closed to be fixed in Weyburn. Now it's happening all the time."
"I hate it when I hear about potholes and stuff, but I love it when I hear about streets being closed. That just means we're moving in the right direction."
Janke said part of the way the City is solving infrastructure problems is to collect and focus on the data available as each project unfolds.
"You don't really know until you dig into the road and see what's down there," he noted. "I heard just the other day that Railway Avenue is actually in better condition than we thought it was, which is great news. But I mean you don't know because all you can really see is what's on the very surface until you dig down there."
He said the Engineering Department is working on collecting data about sewer lines and water mains.
"Once we have that [data], then it's a lot easier to make these decisions, because the unfortunate reality is, for many, many years, a lot of what existed underneath our streets, the knowledge was mostly in someone's head, which is great. You can't beat that kind of experience. At the same time, it's very hard to translate that into a plan to make sure you're not doing exactly what you don't want to do."
"If we have all the data, which we're getting together, in the future, this is going to go a whole lot better."
Janke said he asks questions of City Administrators during the Open Council meetings for two reasons.
"Elected officials have a responsibility to hold the administration accountable. That's why they exist. Now, it's not to say we don't trust them, because certainly we do. But asking those questions and making sure that they know we're going to ask those questions, and they're ready for them," he explained, adding that he also asks questions to ensure the information is stated clearly for the public.
As for boards and committees, Janke's passion is economic development.
"I see a ton of opportunity in Weyburn, specifically in downtown, with revitalization projects. I've heard testimonials from people who were leaving the big cities and came here because of the 'Why Not Weyburn?' campaign, in whole or in part. Every little bit that attracts talent to our community, attracts business to our community, and creates opportunity here is the kind of thing that we want to be working on. We've got partnerships with the RM and with the provincial government to try and work on those projects, and I feel like we are on the right track right now. There's a whole planning session going on with economic development this month and we are going to have an exciting couple of years ahead."
Janke said for him, attending conferences like SUMA is less about learning from the various keynote speakers' presentations and more about networking.
"In the Southeast region, and all across the province, I think we've all made a lot of great contacts there. Generally speaking, there are no new problems. If Weyburn's got an issue, I bet Yorkton's had this problem. I bet Swift Current's had this problem. Worst case, we'll even call Estevan and see if they've had this problem. A lot of times, the solution's just out there, waiting for someone to do it. The wonderful thing about the municipality community is that people are always willing to share, like we don't really see each other as competitors. If we figured out something in Weyburn that work for Estevan, we can't wait to tell them."
He reminded voters that the role of a City Councillor is to represent the community.
"You get six votes. You don't have to use all six. You can use as many or as few as you want, and I encourage everyone to attend the All Candidates Debates, to follow everybody's social media or their website or what have you, and if at all possible, just sit them down and ask them questions and figure out who are the right six for you, or five for you, or one for you, or whatever you want to do. Fill out your ballot."
He said he also encourages voters to ensure they also vote for Schoolboard Trustees.
"Remember that a good chunk of your taxes - more than what goes to City Hall - goes to the Schoolboard, and you can never have too much engagement there, either."
He said he's excited about the election.
"Last time we had 17 or 18 candidates out there, and I hope we have that many again. I'm never afraid of having too many out there. What scares me is having too few."
Janke, who also serves with the Young Fellows Club of Weyburn and on the Weyburn Theatre Community Service Cooperative, said he's hoping for more feedback from the community about what is going on in the community and how Council can make it better.
"The local governments are the ones that affect your life the most," he noted. "There are no parties here. There is no overarching agenda for anything. We all have day jobs. It is really just a group of people who may not agree on everything, but they all agree on having the same passion for our community."
While he does get calls about concerns people want to bring to his attention, Janke said they don't know everything, and this feedback is important.
"With a lot of problems that we have around the community, the hardest part is just identifying them. I've only got two eyes. The City Manager's only got two eyes, but the community has thousands," he said. "So if you see something that needs attention, [...] give me a call. I can relay that information to people who need to know it. We'll get it fixed."