REGINA - It is a new era at Regina City Hall as new Mayor Chad Bachynski and members of city council were sworn in Monday.
The council members were sworn in at a special meeting of council at City Hall. The meeting was ceremonial in nature with friends and family of the winning candidates on hand to witness the swearing-in. Following the swearing-in, Bachynski made his opening remarks:
“Today marks the beginning of an exciting chapter for our city. Standing here alongside my fellow council members, I'm deeply honoured and humbled to serve as your Mayor of Regina. To the citizens who have entrusted us with this responsibility, thank you for your faith in us.
“Your hopes, concerns and aspirations for Regina are at the heart of why we're here. To my fellow council members, congratulations. Each of us brings unique perspectives and strengths and I look forward to collaborating with all of you to build a city that is safe, affordable and positioned for long-term growth and success.
“Our challenges are real, but our opportunities are even greater. Together with the support of our incredible community, we will face these challenges head-on, driven by our shared commitment to making Regina the best place to live, work and raise a family. “Let's move forward with integrity, vision and a dedication to serving the people of this great city. Thank you.”
Following those remarks, council conducted first order of business: to approve the election results from last Wednesday’s municipal vote. Following that approval, the first meeting adjourned, leaving the new council members to celebrate and take pictures with their friends and family.
In speaking to reporters, Mayor Bachynski spoke of what his own first order of business was for himself in his new role.
“Honestly, just get to know people. Get to know who's around,” he said.
“I need to meet everybody. I need to get a lay of the land, what's happening. I've said that before already, but that is the first order of business. It's listen and learn. There's a lot to learn, a lot to get up to speed on, so that's going to be the first order of business.”
It still has not sunk in for Bachynski yet that he is indeed the Mayor now.
“Maybe a little more than yesterday, but I think it'll take some time,” he told reporters.
“To me, you know, settling in is getting to work. So when we really start to get into the work, I think that's when it'll really hit.”
It has also been a fast transition period from the previous council of only five days since the election.
“Yeah, pretty surreal. A bit of a whirlwind. But you know, really a great support system around me and this team of people as well. I mean, we're all excited to reach out to each other and get to know each other and that. So I think it's going to be important moving forward.”
It is a true change at Regina council. Not only is there a new Mayor, but it is a vastly different composition from the previous term with the Mayor as well as eight of the ten councillors being brand new.
Sworn into council on Monday, in order of ward from 1 to 10, were Dan Rashovich, George Tsiklis, David Froh, Mark Burton, Sarah Turnbull, Victoria Flores, Shobna Radons, Shanon Zachidniak, Jason Mancinelli, and Clark Bezo. Only Zachidniak and Mancinelli are returning incumbents from the previous council.
Bachynski spoke about that initial challenge facing the council: that bring the lack of City Hall experience around the council table. He said they would be turning for advice to those who did have experience.
“You know, it is great having some folks that have that experience and we'll lean on them for sure for that and help guide us through some of the nuances. But you know, we're all going to be going through the same onboarding together. So I think really the most important thing is building that team and how we're going to work together.”
With eight years on council, Mancinelli will be the longest-serving among the current group. He sees himself leaning on his experience in helping themnew council.
“I think my responsibility… would be trying to provide an unbiased recollection of events, trying to find a rounded viewpoint of what might have been happening at the table when we come to discuss things that have gone by in the past,” Mancinelli said. “I think it's really important not just to express what I remember, but, you know, what was actually happening for a couple of different viewpoints, so that everyone has information to make really important decisions and we can do the best for Regina.”
As for the newly-elected councillors, they were excited about the opportunity to serve.
“I just want to tell everybody that, you know what? I just want to do what's best for our city,” new Ward 1 councillor Rashovich told reporters. “I want to do what's best for the ward I live in and just have us all work as a team and try to do good things for the city. I mean, that's kind of why I ran. And I'm really looking forward to it. So looking forward to bring the best, you know, the best of all of us and do good things for the city.”
“I'm feeling really excited,” said new Ward 6 councillor Flores. “I think, as you said, there's a lot of us who are new, so we all bring that fresh and excitedness of, like, this is new. We're all ready to learn, ready to get to work, ready to learn from each other and get started.”
Next up for City Council members will be two weeks of intensive onboarding and training at City Hall. Their first Executive Committee meeting will happen on Dec. 4, and their first City Council meeting with a full agenda of business will take place on Dec. 11.
