2012: The Year That Was

Here we are, the first "official" day of Winter, even though, as we all well know, in Saskatchewan, Winter actually begins about six weeks earlier than the rest of the country. It is now a time for reflection and projection, and learn from the positives and negatives of 2012, in order to make 2013 and beyond the best years ever!

I want to take this time first of all to thank each and every one of you who have been supportive of me and my efforts over the past several months, both in terms of running for mayor, but more importantly, for holding City Hall accountable for their decisions and ensuring that taxpayers are heard from and their concerns are actioned upon in a meaningful way. It may surprise a lot of you to hear this, but I am actually extremely happy that I did not win the 2012 Mayoral Race. Why would I say such a ridiculous thing you ask? Well, to be perfectly honest, I wanted to affect change from a taxpayer standpoint. And...I have. And, I will continue to. I have found that I don't need to be mayor to do what I want to accomplish, and in fact, if I chose to run again in the future, it would only be for a council seat at most. People have asked me the question for months, "Why are you going for the Mayor's seat first? Why not go for Council and then Mayor?" My answer was always the same, "I have a strong passion for change, and I feel that is best served in the mayor's seat." No matter how often someone would tell me back in February or March that you can actually affect change MORE from the council seat than the mayor's seat, I never truly understood what they meant. After going through the campaign though, and seeing things from "the other side", I quickly learned what they meant. By no means does that mean, if I had to do it over again, I would choose to run for council in 2012. I feel very strongly that this was a necessary stage in my life. I leared a lot from that experience, and gained far more exposure and networks than I ever would have imagined, and none of that would have been possible if I did not run for mayor, and cause the ruckus that I did.

So, now, I look forward. Going into 2013, a brand new chapter begins in my life. One that I have known for many years was a road I was meant to go down, but due to my nature to "be secure", I never wanted to attempt it. I won't give too many details on it right now, but I will say that my role as Promotions Director with Kings Park Speedway certainly plays a key role in motivating me to do this. I am finally able to put the past where it belongs, while still learning from it, and leaving the responsibilities of taking care of those that did me wrong with the appropriate authorities. With that off my shoulders, I can finally focus on what my life is meant to be, and be as positive as I can be for everyone's sake. I know that with a positive outlook, and the right mindset, literally anything is possible. And, if all goes well, those hopes and dreams I once had should become a reality!

Thank you once again Regina, and I assure you, I am here to stay. I will continue to fight for you, the taxpayer, and be hard nosed about it, but certainly in a more diplomatic fashion. And, you will certainly see much, much more of me over the coming months I am positive.

Have a Merry, Merry Christmas!!