(Ben Tompkins/northeastNOW)

By Ben Tompkins

Three way race

Mayoral Forum held in Nipawin prior to upcoming election

Oct 12, 2023 | 3:00 PM

A mayoral forum was held in Nipawin Wednesday night as the three prospective candidates got to plead their case to the town’s residents.

It also gave citizens the opportunity to ask questions about past, present, and future ordeals that may help them decide who they want to vote into office.

A number of topics were discussed at the local senior’s hall (where the forum was held), which included safety and security, the economy, communication, population growth, tourism, housing, taxes, transportation, education, poverty, and so much more.

As for the candidate’s vision for the municipality, each had a slightly differing view of what they thought was most important.

For Brian Starkell, he focused a lot on fiscal responsibility, bringing up the workings of an economic development team a handful of times.

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“I believe with my administration background and understanding of the town workings due to my history, that I’d be a benefit to everybody in our town. I also understand the importance of budgeting and the financial implications that go with that, and that being upfront, honest, and transparent to go along with it will be my number one priority.”

Meanwhile, Marlon Zacharias views his business experience as his highest quality and is focused on being a leader in driving economic growth, creating better policies, and becoming the hub of the northeast.

In Laura Nycholat‘s case, she is focused on her 30, 60, and 90-day plan which includes empowering a town for the people, not a town for council, reducing crime and housing concerns by addressing chronic homelessness, and then providing more opportunities and safe places for youth.

One of the main topics that was shared and addressed heavily by each candidate was transparency.

With everything that happened with the previous mayor Rennie Harper, which led to an investigation and a resignation, the local public is scared for it to happen again.

“I definitely am looking to improve on transparency,” said Zacharias. “One of the ways we can do that is by having council open to more people and getting people involved in coming to the meetings. I also plan on having some more recorded votes so that people can actually see what their council is doing and I gave out my personal phone number so people can call me anytime and ask questions if they have any.”

Nycholat took a slightly different approach as she’s hoping to eliminate the side conversations. She has opened a public Facebook page where questions can be asked and answered openly, as well as being discussed with other council members so different opinions can be shared.

In Starkell’s case, he’s not afraid to make a mistake as he views them as an opportunity for the people. If one is made, he will stand up and own it and let the town know how it plans to be fixed.

Finally, all three shared how thrilled they were to see so many people engaged in the forum, as well as the questions that were asked, and that they all felt it went well for them and the community.

“I saw a lot of community leaders in the room, which means that they have a job to do to spread the message, to spread the word, and to lead change in the community. Part of my campaign is to empower communities to lead and empower communities to make change happen, and I saw a lot of that passion in this room,” Nycholat explained.

Starkell added that he felt the community was the real winner of the night, while Zacharias mentioned the dedication it took for people to come out to what could’ve been a bit of a bland night but instead was exciting and informative with real face-to-face answers.

Advanced polling begins Thursday, Oct. 12 at the town’s civic offices from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m., while the general by-election day will happen on Wednesday, Oct. 18 from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Evergreen Centre.

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