New faces for City Council

Four years have passed and it is time for Lethbridge to decide who they want to represent their views and concerns inside the council chambers of City Hall.

With only a little over a month until the election, people will have to deliberate between the decisions made by the current council and the new, different views of the nominees.

The current city council pushed forward motions for downtown revitalization, the construction for Spitz Stadium and other buildings. Curb-side recycling, a third bridge and the Exhibition Park Convention Center plans were not fully supported by the council creating concern around Lethbridge for which direction the city is heading.

Council has made their voice and opinions well heard over the last four years and it is uncertain if Lethbridge still supports them.

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Zachery Gibb made his announcement on June 22, 2017 that he is running for council and has been making many appearances throughout the city any chance he can.

Gibb has been a Lethbridge local his whole life serving the community through volunteering and helping customers at the Real Canadian Super Store where Gibb is the assistant store manager.  Whether its local events, festivals, talking on the street or riding the bus Gibb is connecting with the public on a personal basis.

“I’ve ridden the bus several times and talked to people about the issues they have on transit and the best way a city councillor can address the concerns of the residents is by taking it to them, hearing them right from their mouths, living it with them and seeing exactly the challenges that they face. I want people to see that I’m willing to go out there and work really hard for them,” said Gibb.

Being a pro-growth and pro-expansion candidate, Gibb has been looking into the projects of Lethbridge’s future because he believes that is where council needs to focus their time for the quickly expanding city.

“There are some big ticket projects in Lethbridge including a new preforming arts center, curb side recycling, a third bridge and the expansion for the exhibition grounds. I would like to see us implement these projects and go forward not looking at the Lethbridge of yesterday but looking at the Lethbridge 30 years down the line,” said Gibb.

Another new face to the ballot is a new member of the community in the last few years, but has made his implant into being a part of Lethbridge. John Pogorzelski is originally from Regina, but found opportunity here in Lethbridge where he made his name known from being a local event organizer and community board member.

“In the three to four  years that I have been here the community has given me everything I could possibly ask for. Since I’ve been here I’ve gotten married, bought my first house, created my own business (PogoBros) which has been very successful. We throw Octoberfest in the park, but we do a lot of work with community organizations. Because the community has given me so much that I am in a position in my life that I can run for city council and give back to the community that has given me so much,” said Pogorzelski

Between event planning and being involved with organizations such as the Alberta Ethnic Association, Pogorzelski believes that he has heard the concerns from the people of Lethbridge. Park and downtown revitalization, a new preforming arts centre and transit issues is what is on the top of Pogorzelski’s list of priorities for council.

“We are still having a bunch of issues with transit especially here at the university. The students are finding it difficult because its expensive and getting somewhere from the Westside to the north side can take well over an hour. So finding creative ways to make our transit better, just improving transit for our underprivileged population that needs to rely on transit,” said Pogorzelski.

Time is moving quickly and Lethbridge will soon be face with the decision of choosing the new members of council to represent the cities views.

There is no certainty for who will sit around the council table, whether it be new faces or ones we have known for the last few years, but every candidate has one thing in common. They would like you to vote. To find more information on the election, voting stations and times check out Lethbridge.ca/City-Government. Election day is on Oct. 16, 2017 with options of early and alternative voting.

 

Greg Bobinec

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