Councillor Froese Officially Enters Race For Mayor
“Leadership is about taking action…I listen and I follow-up and I act,” Councillor Crystal Froese said this morning as she announced her intentions to seek the Mayor’s seat in the November 3rd by-election.
“I am a person of action my door is always open,” she said.
Attended by about 25 supporters Councillor Froese was cheered when she announced her intentions to run in the by-election. The by-election was called after former Mayor Fraser Tolmie re-signed in order to run for the Conservative Party in the on-going federal election.
Councillor Froese is the first person to officially declare they are running for the vancant mayor’s chair.
Councillor Crystal Froese announces her intention to run for the Mayor’s job in the November 3rd by-election - MJ Independent photo
Councillor Froese said she is running on her record which she typified as having an open door approach to discussing the issues with residents and then effectively bringing those concerns to the Council chamber to get action.
“I have worked had bringing the concerns of our citizens to (Council,” she said.
The accomplishments she listed was being there when the City commenced the largest infrastructure renewal in the City’s history and making sure “infrastructure projects were shovel ready” to take advantage of provincial and federal dollars when they become available.
When asked by MJ Independent if she would be resigning her councillor position in order to run for mayor Froese referenced to the provincial legislation which states that to run in a byelection for mayor a councillor does not have to resign their seat first.
By not resigning their seat first any councillor running if they were to win would trigger a second byelection to replace the then vacated councillor position. The cost of a byelection is approximately $60,000. The issued was raised at Council during discussion to select the by-election date.
“I’m following the Cities Act,” Councillor Froese said.
She said that the election was governed under the Cities Act and that was what she would be following when it came to her run for mayor.
“This is the first byelection we have had in our city for mayor…it is governed under the Cities Act,” she said explaining the Act allowed a councillor to run for mayor in a byelection and not have to resign their councillor’s position.
Councillor Froese said her key focus if elected is economic development and jobs.
“My key focus is to create more jobs,” she said going on to talk about the lobbying the City did in getting the SaskPower natural gas fired electrical generating station to be built in Moose Jaw.
Councillor Froese spoke about the community spirit that came forward during the pandemic where residents “rallied around the business community by shopping local.”
She also said she was an active participant in the Zoom roundtable meetings put on by the Moose Jaw and District Chamber of Commerce and listened to those concerns taking action at Council to support the business community.
Another key economic pillar was the controversial expansion of the Moose Jaw Municipal Airport and the opportunities it will afford. After years of controversy the runway was expanded with a $3 million upgrade largely funded by all three levels - federal, provincial and municipal - of government.
“There is great economic potential of our municipal airport runway expansion,” she said.
As a professional communications consultant - 15 years experience - Froese said communication is key to the City’s success not just in the handling of resident concerns but also reaching out to the business community.
“Communication is key,” she said, adding “we have to continue to eliminate red tape (for business).”
“We must have a city that works for us,” Councillor Froese said.
The rising crime rate - especially petty property crimes - is a concern she said. She said she would take an approach that deals in a collaborative manner with the committee fighting Crystal Meth in the city, the police, property/business owners amongst others to help combat the steady rise of petty crimes in the city.
“Firefighters are picking up needles more often,” she said, adding later during media questioning the funding the P:rovince has been providing to the City for policing when compared to other cities.
“We are not equally funded…I want the Province (to provide) proper funding for the police…the City doesn’t have the resources,” Councillor Froese said.
“It really has only happened (rise in petty property crimes) happened in the last 8 - 10 months…people going through recycling bins, people going through back yards.”
Councillor Froese spoke about the increase in petty crimes and how a she would work in a collaborative manner with citizsens to help ensure the police can more effectively fight petty crime. It would go beyond simple Facebook postings in order to help the police.
““(It will go) a little bit further than a neighbourhood watch…the police cannot react to something that they don’t know about.”
Asked by MJ Independent if this would be changing the police’s role of ladder climbing in crime fighting to one of chasing bottle thieves Councillor Froese responded that there were now organized gangs in the city involved in the drug trade - something that never existed before.
“Moose jaw is not immune to that.”
Police forces commonly work on a system where lower level criminals are released or not charged in exchange for information on criminals higher up the ladder.
Asked about the potential of moving to a harm reduction model Councillor Froese said she could not comment on the issue because “I don’t know enough about those,” and any discussion and decisions on that issue would be part of “all considerations around the council chambers.”
Harm reduction centres are controversial as they allow drug addicts to use illegal substances in what proponents describe as a safe and clean place to use drugs. By coming their proponents state that it allows the opportunities to connect with addicts and hopefully help them beat their addictions. It also is touted as a better use of resources as overdoses are dealt with quickly and effectively cutting deaths amongst addicts.
On the issue of the masking mandate Council adopted at Monday’s meeting Ciuncillor Froese said it was something the Province, and not the City, should be taking the lead on.
“It should actually come from the Province,” she said.
On the issue of too much business being conducted in-camera or behind closed doors Councillor Froese said no rules or laws were being broken.
“We follow the legislation very closely…We are not in-camera unless we have to…We follow the legislation. We are governed by it…we completely follow the legislation.”
About the Coteau Street Bridge’s future and when asked if it was discussed in-camera she declined to comment if that had happened. The Coteau Street Bridge is slated for demolition due to safety concerns although area residents are in favour of converting it into a pedestrian access bridge only.
When the issue came before Council Councillor Froese voted in favour of the demolition plans.