MOOSE JAW — Mike Simpkins announced that he will be running for mayor of Moose Jaw in the upcoming civic election. Following his announcement, the Moose Jaw Express reached out with a few questions on Oct. 31.
Q: “What motivated you to enter public service?”
A: “I am running for mayor because, for years, I have not seen the honesty, integrity, and transparency that our citizens deserve,” Simpkins replied. “What I have observed instead appears to be a complete disregard for the needs and wants of the taxpayers. These people need a voice and that’s exactly what I will be.”
Q: “How would you describe yourself as both an individual and as a candidate?”
A: “I’m hard working. I’m loyal. I operate with integrity at all times. I value people. I am a man of faith,” he replied. “As a mayoral candidate, I will bring commonsense, as well as a strong visionary, solution-oriented leadership back into city hall.”
Q: “How do you stay connected to the community?”
A: “My business puts me into the community and downtown every day,” Simpkins said. “Every weekend in the summer, I interact with people from the community and from out of town during the motorcycle training season. My business also provides services to newcomers from other provinces and around the world.
“Whenever possible, I attend local sporting events. I enjoy interacting with people at the Miller’s baseball games and am a Warriors season ticket holder.”
Q: “How would you describe your vision for the city?”
A: “I see Moose Jaw as a thriving, bustling, friendly city full of community spirit and renewed appreciation for our city,” he replied.
“I see regular family-oriented events that will draw people from other communities. For example, a winter festival could have street hockey tournaments, ice sculpture competitions, and ice skating in Crescent Park. In the summer, we could be holding weekly events in our parks such as movie nights, live theatre, local band performances, buskers, barbecue days, and church in the park.
“I see city hall as the heartbeat of the city, so changing the culture there is crucial,” Simpkins added. “I want to create an environment where people are valued, supported, feel like they’re part of a family, and encouraged to share their ideas on bettering their workplace and their city as a whole.”
Q: “How will you ensure accountability and transparency in your role?”
A: “It’s part of my character; it’s who I am. It comes from within,” Simpkins replied. “In order to expect accountability and transparency from others, I have to be accountable myself. If you’re a true person of accountability, you expect it from others. If you allow people around you to not be accountable, then you’re not accountable yourself.”
Q: “What are your top guiding values?”
A: “As a man of faith, these are my core values,” Simpkins began.
“Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles — moral uprightness. The state of being whole and undivided.
“Accountability is an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility for one’s actions.
“Commitment is the state or quality of being dedicated to a cause or activity.
“Compassion is a sympathetic concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.
“Dependability is the quality of being trustworthy and reliable; (it is) the ability to be relied on.
“Courage is the ability to do something that frightens one; (it is demonstrating) strength in the face of pain or grief” and to persevere and step out of your comfort zone.
Q: “What would you say are the top three issues or concerns that you would like to address?”
A: “I think the people of Moose Jaw would consider our roads the biggest issue; I would have to agree — it is a major issue,” Simpkins answered. “As a driver educator, I spend many hours each day driving around with students on our city roads. They definitely need to be addressed.
“However, I feel that downtown safety and the protection of our seniors and most vulnerable would be at the top of my list. No one should feel afraid to leave their apartment, go for a walk downtown, or stroll through Crescent Park. At the root of the situation with our most vulnerable is the mental health and addictions concerns that have to be addressed.
“I also think that our current taxation system needs a complete overhaul,” he added. “I think we need to look for a better way of implementing taxes, tax assessments, and appeals for both our residential and business tax structures. I believe we need to look at recreating an in-house tax assessments department at city hall.”
Q: “In your own words, why should people vote for you?”
A: “The fact that there are 29 people running for political office in Moose Jaw demonstrates that there is a need for change in our city,” he said. “We need to look for new people who have a new approach and a new vision for the city in order to tackle the old problems that still exist.
“Some of the challenges that we have to deal with are going to be very difficult and that’s why we need a strong leader like me who can encourage council to stand firm on making those tough decisions.”
In his final remarks, Simpkins concluded with something to ponder.
“I leave you with this illustration to consider: A wise man once told me there are three types of people. There are the sheep; they are the ones that are the really nice people. They get along. They don’t cause trouble. Everybody likes them.
“Then there are the wolves; they are the ones who like to nitpick, backbite, stir up trouble, and attack the sheep.
“And then, there are the guard dogs. They are the ones who will protect the sheep and chase away the wolves. They will not cower in the face of fear. You as the voter have to decide which one of the five candidates running for mayor is the guard dog,” he proposed. “When your house is on fire, he’s the one who’s going to run in and pull you out. He is the one that’s going to fight for you when the city is in crisis. He is the one that’s going to confront issues head-on and take action.”
You can contact Simpkins through email at [email protected].
The upcoming civic election will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 13.
