ESTEVAN - City Coun. Rebecca Foord has joined the race to be the next mayor of Estevan.
Foord, who finished second in the councillor race in the 2020 civic election in her first attempt at elected office, filed her nomination papers on Thursday, joining a field that already included Coun. Tony Sernick, who is also wrapping up his first term on council, and first-time candidate Zacch Vandenhurk. Incumbent Mayor Roy Ludwig has stated he won't be seeking re-election after 12 years in the role and 30 years on council.
Foord said she decided to run for mayor because she believes the community needs a strong leader who can guide it through any challenges it will face. There are a lot of changes coming, she said, including the potential for small modular reactors (SMRs); if the project proceeds, the first SMRs would be in the Estevan area.
"I want our community to be well-versed in the SMRs, and how they work, and what they will look like for Estevan," said Foord, adding she would take the questions people might have about the project to the appropriate people, including the other levels of governments.
Foord said she would also want to continue to be involved with economic development and the Southeast TechHub, to keep working on projects like hydrogen, coal to graphite and anything else that might come forward.
The past four years have been a real learning experience for her. While her education in political science helped her to prepare for what she encountered on city council, being a part of it made the biggest difference.
"I've learned what to do and what not to do, and I believe all of those skills and all of the wisdom from the past councillors and the past mayors really helped me to learn what it's going to take to be a good mayor," said Foord.
She would like to see more consistent communication coming from city hall and the mayor's office. There have been some lessons learned during the past four years on council, and she would like to apply them.
"When there's a project happening, like a road repair or a closure, let's tell the community in every way that we can. Let's tell them over and over again so that it doesn't get missed," said Foord.
Everyone on council should have the tools they need to succeed, she said. There will be at least four new councillors, and Foord said it can be very overwhelming, especially when the city budget has to be tackled only a month after the election.
"I'd really like to make sure everybody's up to speed on how that process works, what to expect during council and really make sure everybody understands their roles. Our management has the challenge of trying to catch up with a new council every four years. I want to support not only the management, but all city staff by making sure our new council is up to speed on things and really feeling comfortable in their roles by budget season," said Foord.
Foord also wants council members to sign up for any training they might want so they feel prepared for the job. She also would spend time with them to ensure they have a voice.
"We may not all agree in the council chambers, but we can create an environment that allows everyone to feel open and share their opinions," said Foord.
She noted she has been considering a run for mayor for about the past 12-18 months. She has discussed it with family and friends, and after factoring in her work with different organizations outside of council, she said she wanted to take her skills and what she has learned and apply it to the mayor's role.
If she were to be elected, Foord said she would be able to balance her job, her other commitments and the mayor's work, including attending conferences.
Foord said she has a lot of people and supporters in place to deliver signs and set up meetings. If there is a candidates' forum, she looks forward to answering questions from the community.
"I believe candidates' forums put everybody on an equal level to answer all questions how they feel, and I really like the element of surprise in a candidates' forum," said Foord.
The civic election is slated for Nov. 13.
