It was a memorably close call on election night in 2020.
"I was very, very fortunate four years ago to get elected by, I think 34 votes," said Swift Current City Councillor Ryan Switzer. "I've thought about that every day since and how fortunate I was to squeak in under the radar. I just thank the citizens of Swift Current for entrusting me to be a councillor four years ago. I hope that even if I didn't make them happy all the time, I hope that I've earned their trust for another four years."
Switzer was part of a change on council in 2020 that saw only two incumbents returned to their chair. Now he is the third incumbent putting their name forward for 2024.
Over his first term, Switzer learned you aren't going to make everyone happy.
"What's that famous quote?" he said. "I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone. If you're being a responsible leader sometimes you're going to make decisions that aren't too popular with folks. My skin is a lot thicker now than it was four years ago."
Switzer highlights the work he's done as council appointed representative on the Swift Current Library Board, the Chinook Regional Library Board, the Drug Strategy Action Committee, the Southwest Facility Foundation, the Swift Current Housing Authority and serving as Chair of the local Mural Advisory Committee.
"I had the chance to be a part of some great teams with people from around Swift Current and Southwest Saskatchewan who really believed in moving our community in the region forward," said Switzer.
Now turning an eye to the future, he is prioritizing infrastructure renewal.
"The sidewalks that we use, the streets that we drive on, the things that we don't necessarily see and touch every day, our underground infrastructure," Switzer noted. "We do have some aging infrastructure in our community. It's not the sexiest thing to spend tax dollars on, but it is extremely necessary. It's been nice to see the use of micro surfacing, which will allow us to rehab some of our roads a little bit quicker and a little bit more affordably. But certainly keeping an eye on our infrastructure that's going to be key in the next four years to having a thriving community.
"As a community, you don't have much if you don't have water. As well recreational amenities. Swift Current is a great community. It's an awesome place to become the best version of yourself. But we do have some outdated recreational facilities, and I applaud the work of some community stakeholders to really take initiative and try and change that."
Switzer joins Ryan Plewis and Leanne Tuntland-Wiebe as current councillors declaring for November's municipal election.