Potential candidates mull run for top job
Saskatoon could know in the next several weeks whether the 2016 mayor’s race will feature two fourterm mayors, a veteran councillor and the unknown who nearly won four years ago.
Former mayor Henry Dayday and Tom Wolf, who placed second in the 2012 mayoral race, said they expect to announce in a few weeks their intentions for the October vote.
Coun. Charlie Clark, who is expected to run for mayor after 10 years representing Ward 6, refused to comment on his timetable for an announcement.
Three former challengers for the mayor’s chair in Saskatoon all say it’s time for change after four straight terms with Don Atchison as mayor.
“I’m seriously thinking about it,” said Dayday, who served as mayor from 1988 to 2000. “If we vote for Don Atchison for four more years, we have to put up with him for more years.”
Dayday declared his intention to challenge Atchison four years ago in April, but ultimately pulled out of the race because he did not want to split the anti-Atchison vote with Wolf.
Dayday, 76, said there’s lot of time before the election and added Clark entering the race would not affect his decision. He also said he does not think his age would be a factor, pointing to the top contenders in the American presidential race: Bernie Sanders, 74, Donald Trump, 69, and Hillary Clinton, 68.
Wolf said he plans to issue a news release on his intentions soon.
He blasted the current council as “boring to watch,” saying the politicians are simply reacting to reports prepared by City of Saskatoon administrative staff.
“It’s not good enough for this city,” Wolf said.
Lenore Swystun, a former councillor who lost to Atchison in 2006 and 2009, said she is still considering whether or not to run again.
“People want change,” Swystun said. “A lot of people are saying they want Atch gone.”
Swystun, who said she believes no politician should serve more than two terms, noted Clark would not bring the change people are seeking since he has been part of council for a decade.
“I’m really hopeful that we get a new face running,” said Swystun, who represented Ward 1 from 2000 to 2003.
Atchison, who served three terms on council before winning the mayor’s chair in 2003, announced in 2014 his intention to seek an unprecedented fifth straight term. In 2012, Wolf, an unknown first-time candidate, attracted 47 per cent of the vote; Atchison got 52 per cent.
Erin Neufeld, a stay-at-home mom who had previously announced her intention to take a long-shot run for mayor, decided against a campaign on Thursday.
It’s been more than 50 years since a candidate was elected mayor of Saskatoon without serving on council first. Ernie Cole was the last person to pull off this feat in 1965.