Why are you running for mayor?
I became the Mayor of Moose Jaw after winning the 2021 by-election, and we made some good progress in my time as mayor, but we're still not done.
I think it takes time to learn how to operate in the job, build the relationship with the council, the city manager, city staff, and other people both inside and outside of City Hall. It takes time to build a team and collaborate with others to get things done.
So, I've had three years of a four-year term so far and I think another four years in this office will see me functioning at an even higher level and a more knowledgeable level than I am now. The experience I gained from my first term will definitely benefit the city as we will have continuity and the team ready to tackle the challenges ahead.
I've enjoyed the challenges of this position, and I value the privilege to be chosen by our citizens to represent them in this position. Many, many people I meet say I am the right person for the job — and I agree. It feels like I'm the right person at the right time for our city.
Can you tell me about your experience in public service or on community boards or in politics generally?
I was a Moose Jaw city councilor for what was then a three-year term, 1988 to 1991. And during that time, I was the spa committee chairman, and our council made the decision at that time to capitalize on our historic downtown. So, we drilled the spa well, which led to the creation of the Temple Gardens Mineral Spa and Hotel, which in turn kickstarted downtown revitalization, increased tourism, and increased business in our city.
That council, just in a three-year term, was able to get some successes based on our past. We enhanced downtown, we based everything on a heritage theme by bringing in a heritage facade program, we purchased streetlights. Our streetlights had been sold to Victoria, so we had replicas made. We installed paving stones and street furniture, and we decided to market our city based on our heritage downtown.
We built the Art Museum as an addition to the library to enhance the cultural aspect of our historic downtown. We also at that same time built the Kinsman pool and the Burt Hunt Arena to enhance our recreational facilities.
All of this new activity based on our heritage led to Casino Moose Jaw, the (at that time) Cultural Centre and the Mae Wilson Theatre, the adaptive reuse of the CP station, eventually to the Tunnels, and all the rest of what you see downtown today.
I've served on too many boards to mention, but I think the first board I was on was the Moose Jaw Civic Centre board and that would have been in the ‘80s. And just yesterday I attended our Investment Committee at the City of Moose Jaw, where we make important decisions regarding the investment choices for the city.
So, from serving as a community member on a board to becoming mayor and serving on the investment committee, we've made strong decisions. We're in a strong financial position, especially relative to other municipalities.
Do you think experience matters one way or another?
I think being honest, open, and sincere are the most important attributes of any person, including the mayor. But loving our city and wanting to work with others for the benefit our city is a requirement in my opinion.
That being said, experience helps the mayor understand how to get things done and how to work collaboratively towards what is best for our city. I believe I'm a positive person, kind, and humble. I think these are wonderful traits to have as a mayor. Experience helps me to not get too high when things go well or too low when things do not go well.
Having gone through many different situations and scenarios in life and in government helps me control my emotions and not make knee-jerk reactions that can lead to poor decision making. So, I think successful experience certainly helps to add accomplishments to good intentions.
What topic or policy issue or incident was the tipping point for you in in your decision to rerun?
I originally got involved in civic politics and ran as a councilor because I was frustrated at the way city hall ran — that ‘you can't fight city hall’ mentality I was getting when I was dealing with city administration.
More recently, we've had a number of mayors that were not born and raised in Moose Jaw, and I thought our mayor should be someone who knows and understands our city and our citizens, somebody whose heart is in our city. Someone who is not just running for a job, they're running to see their city is not only going to survive, but prosper. That someone would be me.
I care deeply for our city and want what is best for Moose Jaw and Moose Jaw people. Other places seem to prosper while we remain stagnant. I felt I could help, so I stuck my nose in the last race for mayor. I won that election. I believe we are doing better as a city since the election three years ago. Therefore, I want to continue to contribute to our growth and success.
What criticisms do you have, if any, for the politics you've seen over the last two or three years?
I don't think one builds oneself up by criticizing others, but I don't like people voting in blocks as opposed to exercising their own right or their own opinion. I don't think it's a righteous thing to do to vote against a motion simply to be in opposition, to be defiant.
There's no ‘I’ in team, you know, ‘I did this. I did that.’ It's a team effort. So, I'd like to see team effort in council and the mayor's seat. And when I don't see that effort, it bothers me. Good governance comes from working together collaboratively to achieve results that benefit the population of our city. Working alone, especially without consulting others or asking for help, leads to mistakes, and results that are less than what we might have achieved had we put in a good effort as a group.
What is your plan to compromise and/or cooperate with your fellow Council members to accomplish policy goals?
When the new council is elected, the first thing will be swearing-in and orientation for the new council. Given that there will be newly elected members, it's important that the new council receive a thorough orientation to council procedures, the status of the city's current strategic long-term plans, and overall governance.
The new council will be thrust into the 2025 budget discussions almost immediately after the election, without much time to learn the ropes. Without participating in strategic planning designed to determine what the new council wants to establish as priorities, the newly elected council will have to make some difficult budget decisions and provide direction to the city manager and administration.
This is where, as an experienced mayor, I can help lead the council through the budget process. The mayor and council have one employee, the city manager, and the mayor and council work together to establish their priorities based on what the majority wants, and then they ask the city manager and the rest of the administration to deliver the results.
What else do you want voters to know about you?
Well, my only agenda is mayor is to represent the people muster of the best of my ability. I'm not using the mayor's position as a steppingstone to a higher level of politics. This is the top job for me.
I am an earnest, clear person. As your mayor, I work hard, I can do things to make the city better. At the end of my time as mayor, I want the citizens to say Mayor Tolley gave it his best and at the end of his term he left the city better than when he took office.
And lastly, in the interests of transparency, are you coordinating with or do you share an association with any other candidates?
No, I'm an independent person running for a second term as your mayor. The funding for my campaign is coming from myself, my family, my friends, and people who believe in me and the work I've done in the role as mayor.
I'm a Shriner, a member of the Royal Canadian Legion, ANAVETS, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. I also have a membership in the Hillcrest Golf Club. I play recreation hockey with the Crusty Canucks and the Weekend Warriors. I hold memberships in the Moose Jaw & District Seniors Association, Ironwood Gym, and the Moose Jaw Museum & Art Gallery.
I like going to concerts at the Moose Jaw Events Centre, the Moose Jaw Centre for the Arts and Culture, and at the Cosmo Senior Citizen Centre.
So no, I have no associations with any of the other candidates. I'm an independent person running for my second term as mayor.