Recycle: To treat or process used or waste materials so as to make suitable for reuse; to alter or adapt for new use without changing the essential form or nature of. Former Mayor Don Atchison has thrown his hat into the foray and we now have four souls offering themselves up for public service to the citizens to be mayor of Saskatoon. Three of these souls come from recycling bins and one is (in recycling lingo) a virgin product.
As with all elections, candidates with track records usually are held to account for every error or omission that occurred during their tenure and, after the election, defeated candidates rarely get recognized for all the good they did. Such is the case with Don Atchison, fondly referred to as Atch. Atch served three terms as a councillor, was elected to the mayor’s chair four times and has given 25 years of service to his city. There were comical highlights in his career — remember the dome over Second Avenue? And, of course, he made it to the big time when comedian Rick Mercer showcased him on his national program as Canada’s Craziest Mayor. Don was a good sport and used the opportunity to profile Saskatoon. Don was also one of the hardest working, friendliest and most visible mayors we have ever had. The standing joke was “there isn’t a garage door opening that Atch didn’t attend.” His contributions to the city over 25 years are legion, and I think it is fair to say that River Landing and all its amenities would not exist today were it not for Atch. He plowed ahead with this public/private venture despite some very difficult and abusive opposition. However, I dare say it was the financing of the art gallery on the site that contributed to his downfall.
We do owe him our gratitude for all the good he has done over the years. The question is, do we want to recycle him? He has the experience although it comes from a past era and may not accommodate the changing demographics of Saskatoon. Or is it just time for fresh vision from a younger generation?
Gord Wyant has been recycled from a school board trustee to a city councillor, to a member of the Legislative Assembly, where he served in cabinet. You might liken his political career to winning the triple crown. The one step he missed was the mayor’s chair. Was he saving the best for the last? Gord successfully practised law until he entered the political arena, and except for a run for party leader, he has won every race he ran in. His experience from the bottom of the political ladder to the provincial top is clearly valuable. He is personable, polite and presentable — in short, a very nice man. The question is, do we want to recycle him again? How many times can we process used material and make it suitable for reuse?
Cynthia Block’s political experience is limited to two terms on council, although she did run unsuccessfully as a federal Liberal. Running for the Liberal Party in Saskatchewan speaks of either tremendous courage or poor judgment, or perhaps both. Her name recognition comes from her long career in broadcasting and communications. As the candidate with the most recent council experience, it is easier to critique her performance, and if past performance is indicative of future performance, of where she might take the city. Her campaign material boasts of the usual motherhood issues — affordability, safety, sustainability, strengthening the basics, addressing homelessness, reconciliation and inclusiveness and the cherry on top is (drum roll please) revitalizing downtown, which is the euphemism for a new $1.2 billion downtown arena. Now she did say she wouldn’t support the arena project if impacted the property tax base. But if you are taking money out of reserves and talking about increased tax revenue from downtown businesses, then you are impacting the tax base. And she also said she wouldn’t support the residential zoning demands of the Liberal government and then flip-flopped on that decision. This isn’t about talking a good game; it’s about actually playing a good game.
So, do we want to just recycle or re-purpose this candidate again? Or is it just shuffling the deck chairs on the Titanic?
I know all three of these candidates and clearly everything I write here may be tainted with bias. In years gone by, I worked with both Atch and Wyant. As for Block, I know her socially and she is an engaging person. But I am struggling with the adage “six of one, half dozen of another.”
The fourth candidate, Cary Tarasoff, is the virgin product. I have never met Mr. Tarasoff. To my knowledge he has never been elected to public office, so recycling is off the table. I’m struggling with Tarasoff because in reading his brochure, he ticks off pretty much all my concerns, but any good communications person could design that appeal. I feel like he borrowed my mantra when he says taxes keep going up while services decline. His definition of sustainable means to “live within your means” but that doesn’t mean not to have dreams and to plan for the future. He talks about bringing common sense and fiscal responsibility to City Hall. (Be still my heart!) I’m not here to stump for any particular candidate, but you might want to check out Tarasoff’s website. And as I have said in past elections, you do not have to have political experience on council to successfully perform the duties of mayor. Just ask Regina’s mayor.
So, the question here is not about recycling but buying a new product. Sometimes change is better than a rest. Then again, if it seems too good to be true, maybe it is. Besides if you get a mayor that oversteps his/her authority, you supposedly have 10 councillors to reel the mayor in. Real leadership is to say what you mean and mean what you say. It is being able to work well with others and to bring out the best in your colleagues to the benefit of your organization. And I’m just too long in the tooth for lip service.
(After this column was submitted, Mike Harder entered the race for mayor.)
– Elaine Hnatyshyn
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