MOOSE JAW — Patrick Boyle announced that he will once again run for Moose Jaw city council and he’s also running for the Prairie South School Division’s board in the upcoming civic election. Following his announcement, the Moose Jaw Express reached out with a few questions on Oct. 9.
Q: “What motivated you to enter public service?”
A: Boyle served as a city councillor in 2012 and described it as “a really good experience.”
“At the time, my kids were quite young and… fast forward a decade later, my teenage daughter said to me one day as they were learning about governance that she was shocked to find out that (I served as a city councillor),” he said. “She said to me, ‘Well, you should do that again.’
“At the end of the day it really was just one of those moments where I thought, you know, I have something to contribute, and I think I can do it in a positive way.”
Q: “How would you describe yourself as both an individual and a candidate?”
A: Boyle describes himself as a born communicator and, as a trained journalist by trade, he’s no stranger to asking questions in the quest to understand diverse perspectives. “One of my skills is to engage people, communicate, and try to work things out,” he said. As well, he described himself as “a personable type of guy who likes to talk to everybody about anything” and said he’s passionate about the city.
Q: “How do you stay connected to the community?”
A: Boyle currently serves as a Prairie South School Division board trustee and is connected to the education system through this role. He has volunteered and coached youth sports for countless hours and said he’s always open to talking with folks downtown. He said the Boyle name has been well known in the community for over 100 years.
“Also, I have three kids who are all in activities so I spend a lot of time at the hockey rink, at the ball diamonds, and (at the) basketball courts talking to people,” he said. “(It’s largely) grassroots stuff and we’re always in the community and engaging (with people).”
Q: “How would you describe your vision for the city?”
A: “We’re at an interesting time in Moose Jaw’s history where we have an opportunity to see a vision of what we could be,” Boyle said. “There’s a lot of potential opportunities that could be capitalized on when you’re looking at growing a vibrant, sustainable, safe community.”
As one example, he said the growth of the industrial park where the new SaskPower natural gas power plant is being built was the beginning of something very large.
“Or you talk about our agricultural background… there’s no reason that we couldn’t be a centre for pulse crop or lentil excellence,” he said. “We need to really capitalize on (these opportunities) and start having that vision and forethought to do those things. To me, at the end of the day, I really want to try to somehow increase our revenues for the city so we can offer better services to all our citizens.”
Q: “How will you ensure accountability and transparency in your role?”
A: To ensure accountability, Boyle said he believes in always being open and honest and described it as “an important part of the democratic process.”
“You want to ensure citizens have all the information that is available, and what we do on council and the decisions we make at the end of the day (represents) them,” he said.
Q: “What are your top guiding values?”
A: Boyle said his leading values are trust, honesty, and being authentic. “If you talk to me, I’m the same person when I talk to a janitor as (I am when) I would talk to a CEO,” he said.
He also said that, as a family man, he understands the challenges that families face in the city. “For me, just (having) family-based values (are important when, for instance) looking at trying to drive economic growth and ensuring that we are taking care of what we have in this city.”
Q: “What would you say are the top three issues or concerns that you would like to address?”
A: Boyle said three issues he’d like to address include the state of infrastructure including roads, recreational infrastructure and opportunities, and creating a safe community.
“I’ve seen that there are opportunities for us to do some really interesting things with, for example, the ball diamonds on South Hill,” he said, noting that there’s now an opportunity to further develop spaces in this area around the new multi-use school in one example.
Q: “In your own words, why should people vote for you?”
A: “I think, given my experience previously, I know governance. I understand how these things work,” he said. “I live Moose Jaw every day. I have three kids and we go through the same struggles everyone has and (I understand) the challenges families are facing.
“That openness,” he continued, “and willingness to learn, listen to citizens, and engage with them and then come to the best decision we could possibly for them at the end of the day (is my goal and I) try to bring that strong decision making to the citizens of Moose Jaw.
“My first term on Moose Jaw city council was the honour of my life, and I’m looking to see that mandate again from the citizens,” he concluded. “If I’m so lucky as to do that, I’ll work as hard as possible to be the best I can for them (and to) really create the strongest Moose Jaw that we can.”
You can reach out to Boyle or learn more through his Facebook campaign page, ‘Patrick Boyle for Moose Jaw City Council’ or via email at [email protected].
