After almost eight years as the mayor of the City of Lethbridge, Chris Spearman has made the decision to not run for re-election in October. He recently announced his decision during a press conference to give possible candidates time to prepare for the Oct. 18 election.
Spearman believes that anyone running for city council in any capacity, should have a vision and an idea about how to deal with social issues in the city. They need to be willing to work together as a team, without trying to impose divisive philosophies on one another, in order to access the services, we desperately need from the provincial government regarding detox services and supported housing.
One of Spearman’s regrets as mayor is not receiving anything of significance from any provincial government during his two terms in office.
But not everything has been negative, he has many accomplishments he is very proud of as well.
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“I’m pleased with many of the things that we’ve been able to accomplish as a council over my term as mayor. The largest single private investment in the history of Lethbridge of $430 million for Cavendish, a fantastic investment. The ATB Centre, certainly that’s the largest municipal facility that we’ve constructed in the history of Lethbridge, the most expensive one at $155 million and recently, getting the investment for Lethbridge Exhibition from the province,” said Spearman during the press conference.
His decision to not run for re-election had members of city council reflecting on their time with him as well. One member of city council, councillor Blaine Hyggen released a statement shortly after the announcement, which he later shared on his personal social media accounts.
On his statement he reflects on Spearman’s accomplishments saying, “one thing is certain, when the dust settles and when the crisis is over, Mayor Spearman will have left his mark on Lethbridge. Together, we worked to deliver on the Cavendish investment, ATB Centre, Exhibition Park and many other projects and outcomes too numerous to mention.”
“We still have many more months until the end of this term and I know that my fellow Councillors along with our city staff will continue to join Mayor Spearman in his commitment to serve the citizens of Lethbridge. I look forward to seeing him through the end of his term,” Hyggen added.
There has been no mention of anyone running for office or city council yet, but the applications are open. The information can be found on the City of Lethbridge website at www.lethbridge.ca
