Dauphin has its first mayoral race in 12 years, with 17 candidates for council seats

Jackson Jackson2022-10-14

Residents of Dauphin will have the chance this month to vote for a new mayor for the first time since 2010, after the last two mayoral races in the western Manitoba town went uncontested – and it Nor is there a shortage of applicants in this year’s race to become a city councillor.

Two candidates are running for mayor in the Oct. 26 election and 17 are vying for six city council seats.

Allen Dowhan was elected mayor of Dauphin in 2018, but died last fall. Dowhan himself became mayor after the unexpected death in 2017 of Eric Irwin, who was first elected mayor in 2010. Irwin won acclaim in the 2014 election.

After Dowhan’s death, the Dauphin City Council decided not to hold a by-election as the municipal election was a year away. Deputy Mayor Christian Laughland has assumed the role of acting mayor and is running for a council seat this month.

Mayoral candidates

It was Dowhan’s death that inspired mayoral candidate David Bosiak to enter the race to become mayor of the town of more than 8,000 people.

He was « sitting in the hockey locker room [with friends] just discussing, ‘Well, what do we do now as a community? Who is a person who could possibly step in and fulfill this role? « Bosiak said.

« During a time when we were just casually talking about who might be a good candidate, it kept coming back, ‘I might have those skills. I have those experiences. I have those contacts.' »

Born and raised in Dauphin, Bosiak served as the town’s director of recreation in the 1990s, while running his own gymnasium in town.

He then worked for the provincial government as the regional director of recreation and tourism for the Parkland region.

More recently, Bosiak served as chair of Dauphin’s economic development committee.

If elected, he said his priorities as mayor will be to strengthen ties with the surrounding rural municipality of Dauphin, work closely with other levels of government and build momentum for the 2021 strategic plan. -2024 of the city.

Bosiak’s opponent, Kerri Riehl, is also no stranger to Dauphin city politics. In 2018, she was elected to the city council after a career in law enforcement and security and became deputy mayor.

« I have experience and I understand [city hall] treat. I know we got 17 new people running [for council]and I think the mayor should understand the process and be able to help others who join, » Riehl said.

When his mother fell ill, Riehl resigned from the board last fall to spend time with his family.

Prior to his political career, Riehl served with the RCMP for 23 years and worked security at two international diamond mines in Yellowknife. This work experience taught her critical thinking skills, she says.

« I really see the big picture. I believe I can represent everyone equally. [Working at] international diamond mining has given me a broader perspective of what we can achieve as a small community,” Riehl said.

If elected, she plans to hold regular office hours so she can communicate with residents and give them the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes.