One of the most controversial figures of the 2016 city election is back on the ballot.
Josh Morrow filed his nomination papers for mayor Tuesday. He’s running against incumbent Greg Dionne, former MLA Darryl Hickie and Ward 7 Coun. Dennis Nowoselsky.
Morrow was not available for comment Tuesday but will speak to the Herald later this week.
Morrow is a business owner, landlord and former junior hockey player and draft pick of the Nashville Predators. A shoulder injury and subsequent surgical error cut his hockey career short. Morrow later won a medical malpractice suit in relation to the incident.
Morrow himself did not announce his nomination over social media. His only post on his candidate page Tuesday was of an image he captured above the North Saskatchewan River of a heart visible in the riverbed.
“I found the heart of the North Saskatchewan right here in Prince Albert last weekend. I had to look twice because I couldn’t believe it. If you love this place like I do let’s show everyone what we have!” he wrote.
In the bio he submitted to the city as part of his nomination package, Morrow said the election is about residents, their families and the city we call home.
“We must work to restore efficient functionality within city hall, elect someone who puts you first and will place your priorities above all else. I will not rest until you and your families are safe and secure from violent crime and theft,” he wrote.
“Your children will have more opportunities to succeed and less options to fail. You have worked much too hard to watch your property values disintegrate and your investments diminish. Our teachers, correctional workers, police officers, firemen, healthcare professionals and employees at City Hall are not thanked nearly enough for the amazing work they do. I will inject and shape a new culture within City Hall where empathy, respect, compassion, and accountability will become the norm. We can make sure tomorrow is much better than today. Let us get started and walk this road together.”
Morrow’s nomination follows seven weeks of personal essays he paid to publish as advertisements in the Rural Roots edition of the Herald, leading to widespread speculation as to his intentions.
One of his pieces also sparked a retort via letter to the editor from former Daily Herald editor Tyler Clarke.
Clarke and Morrow were at the centre of a heated, and at times ugly, dispute during the 2016 election that culminated in Morrow posting images of Clarke’s personal address on social media after taking issue with Daily Herald reporting on the state of rental properties owned by Morrow. The dispute earned attention from media outlets across the province.
Clarke also penned several columns urging against supporting Morrow, at one point declining to cover his campaign.
Morrow finished in third with 1,562 votes, behind Dionne (4,450) and second-place finisher Martin Ring (2,774 votes).
Following the election, Morrow sat down with former Herald reporter Arthur White-Crummey and said he did not regret the actions he took in the dispute.
Morrow has since publicly indicated his support for the paper, especially since the ownership change of 2018.
Tuesday also saw the addition of Margaret Duncombe as a candidate in Ward 4 and a handful of new candidates for city seats on school boards.
In the Catholic school division, Andrea Ring, Darryl Sande and Chrissy Halliday were added to the ballot.
As for Saskatchewan Rivers, outgoing chair Barry Hollick filed his nomination papers Tuesday as well.
The city election is set for Nov. 9. Nominations close today at 4 p.m.
The Herald intends to speak one-on-one with each candidate ahead of the election.
