Veteran Saskatoon Coun. Darren Hill eked out a win by 56 votes in 2020 and followed that up with a controversial term that included conduct complaints.
You knew challengers would target veteran Saskatoon Coun. Darren Hill after he squeaked by in the 2020 civic election, winning by just 56 votes.
So far, four candidates have entered the race to represent Ward 1, and Hill appears to have made no public statements yet about his intention to seek re-election.
But should he seek another term in office for the ward he has represented since 2006, he should welcome all the competition. A fragmented vote improves his chances, as it did in 2020.
If Hill wins in November’s election and serves out a sixth term, he would become one of the longest-serving councillors in Saskatoon history at 22 straight years.
Kevin Boychuk spent nearly $8,000, almost all of it his own money, and nearly toppled the veteran councillor. In 2021, Boychuk ran unsuccessfully in a federal Saskatoon riding for the right-wing fringe People’s Party of Canada.
Since 2020, Hill has navigated a rocky road.
Presumably, transparency will not feature prominently in Lalonde’s campaign. He does not appear to have created a campaign website.
Back on planet Earth, three other candidates have declared their intention to run against Hill in a diverse ward that includes City Park, Forest Grove, Hudson Bay Park, Kelsey-Woodlawn, Mayfair, North Park, Richmond Heights and Sutherland.
Kathryn MacDonald co-owns a cheese shop in the Caswell Hill neighbourhood (just south of Mayfair) and serves on the board of directors for the 33rd Street Business Improvement District.
Burnett’s website does not list an occupation, but his LinkedIn profile says he works seasonally as the assistant general manager of the Sutherland Curling Club.
If Hill decides to run, one of these challengers needs to significantly outperform the others to beat him.
Incumbency usually represents an insurmountable advantage for city council candidates, but Hill may well have entered the phase where it instead works against him.
Phil Tank is the digital opinion editor at the Saskatoon StarPhoenix.
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