The 2024 civic election in Prince Albert is still a couple months away, but Bill Powalinsky kicked off his campaign on Monday afternoon with a barbeque on the front steps of City Hall.
In an interview with the Daily Herald, Powalinsky says the barbeque provided a nice forum for him to speak with residents.
“I’m pretty excited about announcing my candidacy and as you can tell I like burgers so it seemed to be a natural thing that we would host a barbecue and we’d have some music and I’d talk to people and really have a nice send-off at the start of the campaign.”
During the event, there was live music and there were burgers and hot dogs available to the public free of charge. After visiting with residents, Powalinsky says two main issues were brought forward to him.
“There’s many issues, but what’s resoundingly clear is that people are worried about homelessness and it seems to be an ever-increasing crisis. We are really worried and scared about the crime level in the city and people are really wanting leadership that is open and transparent and accountable to the people and will listen to folks’ opinions whether they agree or not.”
At the barbeque, pamphlets were distributed to attendees with details on Powalinsky’s platform for the upcoming election. The three main pillars of his platform were listed as Reducing Crime, Homelessness and Renewing Trust.
Powalinsky says he feels that the Mayor and council should do what is needed to support all citizens.
“My personal feeling is that City Council and mayor should be front and center and rally the troops. We’ve seen examples of that in the past with other mayors and that leadership is what provides a catalyst to the community. There are gaps and I feel that although it might not be in the city’s financial mandate, we have a role to support all citizens. If we support our homeless, we’re also supporting our business and vice versa. They go hand in hand, you can’t have economic development without social development.”
One resident who came out to the barbeque in support of Powalinsky was Ward 8 resident Grant Gustafson.
Gustafson says he is supporting Powalinsky in his campaign for Mayor because he has known him for a number of years and trusts that he will deliver on his promises, if elected.
“I’ve known Bill long enough that I believe he will do a better job than our current mayor on prioritizing things for the city, on carrying through on stuff, not just the ribbon cutting events but the ones that aren’t so glamorous.”
Gustafson adds that he supports Powalinsky’s character to be a good ambassador for a city and to lead council meetings effectively.
“What I want to see is more respect for other members of council. I think a mayor should have the best decorum of anyone in that room. They shouldn’t speak down to people and should include them in the decision-making process. They should include the public in decision-making as well and should carry through once things are decided. If you’re going to, for example, replace the sewer and water lines under Central Avenue, do it. Don’t just announce it and then move on to the next thing and not get back to it. Five, six years later, it’s still not done.”
At the time of publishing, only Powalinsky and incumbent Greg Dionne have announced their candidacy for mayor. The 2024 civic election is scheduled for Nov. 13.
sports@paherald.sk.ca
