Deb McGuire has thrown her hat in the ring in a bid for a second term on Martensville City Council.
The incumbent councillor, elected in 2016, said her first term on council has been an “eye-opening” experience. Being at the council table as an elected representative provides a whole different perspective from her previous career as a civic employee.
“I worked in the Martensville town office for 12 years before transferring to public works and handling major responsibilities for the infrastructure,” said McGuire, who is now retired. “I’ve gained a good understanding of the role and responsibility of council, but I also think the ‘nuts and bolts’ issues, like street potholes, that taxpayers talk about on coffee row, are important.
“That’s why I’m running. I want to be a voice for taxpayers.”
McGuire said she’s seeking another term on council for the same reason she ran four years ago.
“I’m running because I love Martensville,” she said. “I appreciate the way Martensville has grown up from a small town to a city, and I would like to continue to be a part of that.
“I want to see growth and investment,” she said. “But I also want to see it retain the small-town friendly character it’s always had in the past.
“We do need to attract more business and commercial investment in order to ease the tax burden on residential properties.”
McGuire said one of her priorities in the coming four years, if elected, is to increase the options for seniors care and accommodation in the city.
“We need a nursing home in Martensville,” she said. “We have had some independent, smaller care homes open up in the last few years, and I think that’s wonderful.
“But what I’m hearing from many older residents is that affordability is a real concern for them.
“If we could get some kind of regional long-term care facility here I think that would be appropriate. I feel senior levels of government should contribute to that.”
McGuire said she favours the trend toward regional cooperation, including the Saskatoon North Partnership for Growth (P4G) planning district.
“I’m glad it’s coming together,” she said. “It’s taken quite a while, but it’s a good thing for all the municipalities.”
McGuire said the partnership bodes well for related issues like surface water drainage along Opimihaw Creek.