Another hat thrown in the ring for mayor’s job
Saskatoon entrepreneur and self-described “advocate for justice” Mark Zielke says he is planning to run for mayor in the upcoming municipal election.
Zielke has criticized previous city councils for high property tax increases and the current mayor and council for “inaction” and imposing punitive fees for businesses, including pot shops.
He also supported the North Saskatoon Business Association’s (NSBA) proposal to shift the property tax burden to residents from businesses, which became a significant issue in the last municipal election.
Reached via instant message on Friday, Zielke confirmed his intention to seek the city’s top job.
“At this time, I’m aware that the citizens of Saskatoon aren’t in the mood for an election that spans five months. To that end, I’ll be formally announcing at the end of summer,” he wrote.
This is not Zielke’s first shot at getting elected. He ran in Ward 2 in the 2016 municipal election, finishing a distant third with 514 votes, or nine per cent of the total. Hilary Gough won the riding, defeating incumbent councillor Pat Lorje.
Last summer, a judge ordered Zielke — who has no formal legal training — to stop practicing law without a licence and charging people $250 to act as an “advocate” in traffic and small claims court.
The ruling came after the provincial law society asked for an injunction to stop him practicing law.
The judge rejected Zielke’s argument that sections of the Summary Offences Procedure Act, the Small Claims Act and the Criminal Code, which permit individuals to be represented by “agents,” allow him to do as he has been doing.
He called the decision an attempt to “oust me as an advocate for justice.”
Zielke runs an internet and social media consultancy business and has been involved with the Greater Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce. He is originally from White Rock, B.C. but has lived in Saskatoon for around 14 years.
To date, only one candidate has formally announced a mayoral campaign: former Saskatchewan Party cabinet minister Rob Norris, who has been highly critical of incumbent Charlie Clark.
Self-described “controversial” candidate Jason Scott Friesen has abandoned a previously reported plan to run for mayor.
Clark, who defeated Don Atchison in 2016, has yet to say whether he will seek a second term, but many political watchers expect him to throw his name into the ring again.
Zielke has also criticized Norris, accusing him of partisanship on social media.
Saskatoon residents are set to go to the polls on Nov. 9, two weeks after the provincial election.