By KEVIN BERGER, Local Journalism Initiative
The longest-serving member of the RM of Corman Park council, John Germs, has been elected as the deputy reeve for the next year.
The Division 1 councillor, who was recently acclaimed to the position, was elected to the position in a secret ballot at the November 26 council meeting.
He will hold the position from Dec. 1, 2024 to Dec. 31, 2025, or until a successor is appointed.
As noted in a report from administration, a deputy reeve had to be appointed at the November 26 meeting to facility the December and January council and committee of the whole meetings.
When given the chance to speak, Germs alluded to his experience as a municipal councillor for the past 24 years, which gave him a good understanding about how the RM operates and where the municipality fits into the big scheme of things.
He said it had been “a bit of a struggle” deciding whether or not he would run again for council, but he had received numerous calls from ratepayers asking him to stay on.
Pointing out that reeve Joe Hargrave was new to the role, Germs said, “I look forward to working with the reeve here and assisting him with whatever help he needs.”
The only other councillor to be nominated was Division 5 Coun. Arthur Pruim, who has been on council eight years.
However, Pruim indicated he was only interested in serving as deputy reeve if he wasn’t also appointed chair of the planning committee or the police commission.
The current committee heads will remain in place until new appointments are reviewed and ratified at the Dec. 16 council meeting.
REEVE ADDRESS
Reeve Hargrave also opened the November 26 meeting by addressing council about his expectations for the future.
Hargrave said his father had taught him that if you want to make a difference, you have to get involved. That eventually spurred his entry into provincial politics — Hargrave had served as the MLA for Prince Albert Carlton for eight years, and was appointed to several Ministerial positions in that time.
Hargrave indicated he believed that the rest of council were serving for the same reason as him: to make a difference.
“I don’t do this job for the money and neither does anybody here. We do it because we care and because we want to do what’s best for this RM,” he said.
Hargrave said he thought the municipality had been run very well for the past 12 years, and that the RM had great potential.
“I think that we have a great RM here, a growing RM. I strongly believe in…doing growth the proper way, and that’s sort of my focus,” he said.
“If it’s not right for the RM, then it doesn’t get my support. I don’t care who’s asking.”