Three candidates vie for St. Vital ward

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This article was published 29/09/2022 (818 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. VITAL

Three candidates have been nominated in the St. Vital ward: Brian Mayes (the incumbent), Derrick Dujlovic, and Baljeet Sharma.

Brian Mayes (incumbent)

Incumbent councillor Brian Mayes said he still has plenty of passion and energy for the role.

“It’s been a good run for me. Almost 11 years now. But there are still things I want to accomplish,” Mayes said.

Mayes said potholes are top of mind for his constituents going into this election.

“It’s still an issue on a lot of side streets… It is bad. People are right,” Mayes said, adding that he’d like to see more money allocated for pothole repair.

Homelessness is another concern for residents, Mayes said. If re-elected, Mayes wants to do more work in tandem with the province to address the issue.

“This will be a big challenge for the new councillor and the new mayor,” he said.

Mayes wants to see a Sage Creek community centre materialize in the rapidly growing neighbourhood.

“I would be pretty proud to get that built in the next four years,” Mayes said. “They deserve a community centre down there in Sage Creek.”

In terms of crime, Mayes isn’t interested in decreasing Winnipeg Police Service funding.

“We’ve done a better job, I think, under this mayor at keeping an eye on expenditures,” he said.

Mayes’ passion project for this term would be to preserve the 20 acres of forest flanking the Seine River near the Perimeter Highway.

“To pass that on to my sons and future generations — that would be a great legacy,” Mayes said.

Mayes’ website is www.brianmayes.com

Derrick Dujlovic

Sage Creek resident Derrick Dujlovic wants to be a strong and attentive spokesperson for St. Vital.

“I find it disturbing what happens at city call in regard to the neglect of citizens,” Dujlovic said. “What the folks in St. Vital are dealing with is certainly no exception.”

The 37-year-old journeyman collision refinish technician said he’s had an eye on city hall for a decade now and doesn’t like what he’s been seeing.

If elected, Dujlovic wants to be an accessible representative.

“I hear time and time again that residents voice concerns and they don’t get a phone call or email back… All that does is feed into the further malaise of the constituents,” Dujlovic said.

The father of two’s other platform issues includes public safety, city planning and environmental conservation.

In terms of infrastructure, Dujlovic wants to see the city follow a “maintenance matrix” to get ahead of repairs before roads fall into costly disrepair.

Dujlovic said there’s a disconnect between the Winnipeg Police Service’s budget and what citizens receive in terms of response.

“Officers are having be deployed to situations they shouldn’t have to deal with… They’re not a catch-all,” he said. “The police budget is unsustainable.”

Dujlovic said he’s spoken with community groups that have good ideas about diverting funding away from the police to frontline organizations.

Dujlovic’s website is www.derrickforstvital.ca

Baljeet Sharma

Baljeet Sharma did not respond to requests for an interview.