Saskatoon voters have repeatedly chosen continuity on city council and stability at city hall, but now a tsunami of change has been thrust upon them.
Saskatoon city council veteran Kate Waygood described the 1994 civic election campaign as the most difficult in her 15 years at city hall.
“It was emotionally the toughest campaign I’ve been through,” Waygood told the StarPhoenix on election night. “The strike was very much a part of this election.”
It easily marked the most council turnover since 1970, when Saskatoon started electing 10 councillors and moved to three-year terms.
Since 1976, Saskatoon has only elected five mayors, including three — Cliff Wright, Dayday and Atchison — who served four straight terms.
And only a fool would have bet against Clark winning a third straight term had he opted to run again.
So Saskatoon voters, who have shown repeatedly that they value continuity on council and cherish stability at city hall, are getting change forced upon them.
The only other incumbents who appear to be seeking re-election are Dubois, Troy Davies, Randy Donauer and Zach Jeffries.
Certainly, some turnover on council is generally good, but this could well be too much, especially for a city that welcomed all the incumbents back four years ago when 38 candidates competed for 11 spots.
Yet it seems highly unlikely we will get a better council, regardless of your political perspective.
High turnover on Regina city council likely contributed to what some see as a mess at city hall.
These voices contribute to a toxic political environment that will dissuade many good candidates from running, especially women.
Even with good candidates, this tide of turnover will threaten the stability residents of Saskatoon value so much.
Phil Tank is the digital opinion editor at the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
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