The big-spending second-place finisher from 2020 is again vying to represent Ward 6 on city council and will face at least two challengers.
Jonathan Naylor paid for his 2020 Saskatoon city council bid himself, likely the most money a council candidate has spent to get elected.
The difference for Naylor is that he footed the entire $19,864.04 bill for his campaign himself. Jeffries, who raised more than $32,000, and Rhode relied on donations.
The amount spent by Naylor ranks higher than the total spending by any candidate in 2016, when only Block and veteran Coun. Darren Hill spent more than $18,000 (the spending limit then was just above $20,000.)
Naylor’s big investment got him about one per cent of the vote for every $1,000 he spent; he finished with less than 20 per cent as Block cruised to a re-election victory.
Clark defeated one-term councillor Elaine Hnatyshyn in 2006 after Hnatyshyn won the seat vacated in 2003 by Kate Waygood, who served on council for 24 consecutive years.
Tony Bassett, a University of Saskatchewan graduate who has spent his career mostly in the non-profit sector, according to his campaign website, has launched a bid to represent Ward 6 for the next four years.
Bassett vied unsuccessfully for the Saskatchewan NDP nomination for Saskatoon Eastview in the 2020 election, but MLA Matt Love won that nomination and the race. Bassett donated $430 to the Saskatchewan NDP in 2018.
Bassett’s Facebook page includes a Sept. 2 post of him attending the annual Labour Day barbecue at Victoria Park and proclaiming himself the “candidate of choice” for organized labour, including CUPE and the Saskatoon and District Labour Council.
So there’s little mystery about where Bassett’s politics lie. His campaign website states his goal as “to make Saskatoon safe, inclusive and livable for all.”
Fellow candidate Jasmin Parker appears to be trying to appeal to the same voters as Bassett. Both live in the Nutana neighbourhood.
Parker also graduated from the U of S and works for the engineering and professional services firm WSP in Canada, according to her LinkedIn profile. Parker worked previously as the recycling ambassador for the Saskatchewan Waste Reduction Council.
Parker’s campaign website describes her as “a collaborative community leader, proud member of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, and sustainability champion, with a soft spot for city planning.”
Parker serves as the president of the Nutana Community Association, while her wife, Jasmin Carlton, serves as vice-president. From 2020 to 2022, Parker donated $860 to the provincial NDP.
Naylor is a veterinarian who has taught at the U of S and owns a small business, according to his campaign website. For more than 10 years, Naylor served the Varsity View Community Association, including stints as president.
Naylor’s campaign website says his priorities include safety, environment sustainability, efficiency, responsible development and attainable housing. His expensive campaign in 2020 included an electronic billboard downtown.
Ward 6 includes downtown, Nutana, Varsity View, Grosvenor Park, Buena Vista, Brevoort Park, Holliston and Haultain — the only ward located entirely within the Circle Drive boundaries.
Regardless of the cost of a campaign, voters should expect some substance instead of just empty virtue signalling.
Phil Tank is the digital opinion editor at the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
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