Regina mayor Masters to run again, says there's `a lot of work to do'

Saying she still has “a lot of work to do,” Sandra Masters confirmed she will seek a second term as Regina's mayor in this fall's election.

“I still believe what I believed four years ago,” she said at her state-ofthe-city address on Thursday.

“I believe that we've got a lot of work to do, and we've got a really incredible opportunity as a city for growth, for investments, for the kind of life we all want for our grandkids.

“And I guess that means on Nov. 13, I believe I will be having a beer with some close friends waiting to see the results of the election.”

Masters was first elected in 2020, ousting three-term incumbent Michael Fougere. It was her first foray into municipal politics.

“This is the coolest thing I have ever done in my life. The opportunity and the privilege of being the mayor of Regina, I could not have dreamt,” she said. “It's also the most unbelievably frustrating thing I've ever done in my life.”

What has been most challenging, she said, is the time it takes to see projects come to fruition, for changes that will impact city services to pass.

“When I ran for mayor last time, I had some ideas of things, and I was probably a little naive about how long things take, and foundational pieces,” she said. “I think we can do better.”

Regina's municipal election is set for Nov. 13.

Her counterpart in Saskatoon, Charlie Clark, announced in January that after almost two decades in civic politics, including the last eight years as mayor, he will not seek reelection for a third term.

Clark is the first mayor of Saskatoon since 1988 to not seek reelection; Cliff Wright stepped away after 12 years and four terms as mayor and another nine as an alderman.

In the years since, all Saskatoon mayors were voted out of office: Henry Dayday in 2000, Jim Maddin in 2003 and Don Atchison in 2016.

Clark was first elected to council in 2006 for Ward 6. He was acclaimed in 2009 and then reelected in 2012.

In his mayoral races, Clark defeated Atchison in 2016 after a decade as a councillor and was reelected in 2020. By November's election, he will have served 18 years on council.

In his reelection bid amid the early days of the COVID -19 pandemic, Clark received an overwhelming mandate from the public. His total of 27,377 votes was more than the combined total from Rob Norris (15,261) and Don Atchison (11,722).

"This is the coolest thing I have ever done in my life ... It's also the most unbelievably frustrating thing.