Kenneth Brown
of The Clarion
Residents of two divisions in the Rural Municipality of Kindersley are heading to the polls next week. The byelection has two candidates running in each division.
The byelection takes place on Oct. 18 at the RM of Kindersley administration office from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Only the eligible voters in Division 3 and Division 10 are to get their voices heard at next week’s Election Day poll.
Rural municipalities have staggered terms on council, so general elections are held every other year. Voters went to the polls in 2016 to elect a reeve and councillors in odd-numbered divisions, and the voters in even-numbered divisions will head to the polls in 2018 to elect councillors for the divisions.
The two candidates for Division 3 are Gordon Casswell and Norman Wiggins. The candidates are vying to replace former councillor John Thiessen, who has resigned from the position after being re-elected in 2016.
The two candidates for Division 10 are Wesley Becker and Darin Wildman. The candidates are vying to replace former councillor Gordon Denney, who is moving away from the area and would not be able to continue in the role, according to an administrative official.
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To be eligible to vote, people must be at least 18 years of age, a Canadian citizen, have lived in Saskatchewan for six months and have owned assessed land in the RM of Kindersley for three consecutive months prior to the byelection. Only people with assessed land in divisions 3 and 10 are eligible to vote, and identification is required.
Glenda Giles, the returning officer for the byelection, said it is nice for the municipality to have multiple candidates in both divisions because “it shows some interest” by citizens. She added it is important for ratepayers to vote.
Casswell, who has lived on a farm in the Netherhill area for the past 30 years, has served on council for the RM of Kindersley once in the past. Casswell sat on council from 2015-2016 and he was serving the final two years of a term. He was elected in a byelection held back at the time.
The candidate said he was approached by somebody who asked him to consider letting his name stand in Division 3 because no candidates had stepped forward at the time. He noted that he chose to run because he wants to do his part. He said if he is elected, he would be available to ratepayers in the division.
“You can always give me a shout,” Casswell said, recognizing that he enjoyed his previous two years on council and, if elected, he would do his best to help the ratepayers with any of the concerns they might have.
Wiggins said he lives in Division 10 and he was interested to run in the byelection in the division, but a person he knows decided to run for councillor in the division and he did not want to run against the individual. He noted that he signed the other candidate’s nomination form, and he decided to try running in Division 3.
The candidate said a ratepayer he knows in Division 3 suggested that he could run for the open seat in the division, so he obtained the necessary signatures. Wiggins, who was raised in the area, said he has an interest the municipality.
“This is something new for me,” he said, noting that he has an interest in politics and both he and his father, who worked for the RM of Kindersley, have experience operating a grader. “I’ve served on other boards, but they’ve been volunteer boards.”
He said he has been making calls to ratepayers in Division 3 and if he is elected, he is only a phone call away and he would be happy to meet with people if they have concerns. It was added by Wiggins that he hopes people get out to vote regardless of who they choose to support.
Becker, who moved to the Kindersley area in 1996, said he was a shop steward for a union when he worked at the potash mine in Rocanville, so he has experience in a leadership role. He said he has an understanding of politics.
The candidate said he worked in the mine for 20 years and he also farmed in the area. When he moved to the Flaxcombe area, he did some farming and he has also worked in the oil patch. According to Becker, he enjoys politics and he would like to learn more about how taxes are spent in the municipality.
He noted that he would like to see a fair playing field for all ratepayers regardless of their personal wealth and status. Becker said he would do his best to serve ratepayers if he is elected in the byelection.
“I want to be loyal and listen to each individual,” he said, adding that he would get to know any concerns ratepayers have and he would like to encourage voters in the division to vote on Oct. 18 because his motto is “vote as you please, but please vote.”
Wildman said he was born and raised in the area and he has spent 40 years of his life living on the family farm north of Flaxcome. The candidate continues to farm and he said while he has never served in government, he has served on local and provincial boards in the past.
He noted that he has served as the president of Kindersley Minor Soccer (KMS) and he has been a member of the KMS board for a while, but he has also served on the provincial board for Saskatchewan Athletics. He said an influential neighbour encouraged him to run in the upcoming byelection.
“It was more encouragement from my neighbour, who was a previous councillor,” Wildman said, referring to Denney, the outgoing councillor for Division 10, who had served on council for the better part of three decades.
The candidate added that he plans to represent the interests of ratepayers in the division to the best of his ability and, if he is elected, he would be glad to talk to people if they have any concerns with matters of a municipal nature.
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© Kindersley Clarion
