Saskatoon’s longest-serving mayor is hoping for a to return to city hall.
Don Atchison announced Friday that he is running again to be the city’s mayor.
During the campaign launch, he said proven leadership is needed for the people of Saskatoon to get through the COVID-19 pandemic.
“They depend on that. They’re counting on that for us to make good decisions for them. Their lives depend on it, their livelihoods, their businesses are all geared to that,” Atchison added.
He didn’t discuss the details of his platform but noted several key points like a solution for The Lighthouse, public safety and referendums on big-budget projects.
One of his opponents said Atchison’s arrival into the race speaks volumes about the current mayor.
“That certainly sends a signal to me that there isn’t some sort of mayors club or presidents club where former mayors are helping one another — in fact we have an active challenger,” Rob Norris told reporters Friday.
Charlie Clark said voters will choose between returning to policies of the past or moving forward.
In a statement to Global News, the current mayor wrote many of the issues Atchison has raised he has already started working on like The Lighthouse, downtown investment and economic growth.
Atchison was mayor from 2003 to 2016 and served as a city councillor from 1994 to 2003.
He lost the mayoral race in 2016 in a close race to incumbent Charlie Clark.
Clark garnered 41 per cent of the vote to Atchison’s 37 per cent.
Atchison is the fifth person to announce their intention to run for mayor in the fall municipal election.
He joins a crowded field that includes Clark, former Saskatchewan Party cabinet minister Rob Norris, Zubair Sheikh and Cary Tarasoff.
Entrepreneur Mark Zielke has said he will launch his mayoral campaign at the end of summer.
A University of Saskatchewan political scientist said now there are now three heavyweight contenders fighting for the city’s top job which could make for an interesting race.
“People also want to have a sense that their council can work together. We know during Charlie Clark’s term as mayor … one hallmark everyone talks about is how many split votes there are in council,” Greg Poelzer said.
He noted Atchison was able to find a balance with his council where split votes weren’t as common during his tenure.
Poelzer added stability and strong leadership are the values each leader will want to show heading into a pandemic election.
The Saskatoon civic election is scheduled for Nov. 9.
-With files from Kyle Benning