Josh Morrow is taking a second shot at becoming the mayor of P.A. (submitted photo/Josh Morrow)

By Glenn Hicks

civic election

‘It’s less about me and more of you’ : Morrow back for second mayoral run

Oct 7, 2020 | 1:10 PM

Promising he has grown since the turmoil of his mayoral campaign four years ago, Prince Albert’s latest contender for the Nov. 9 vote is promising to tackle crime and ‘restore faith’ in the city’s political leadership.

Josh Morrow, who ran an aggressive social media campaign and ultimately unsuccessful bid in 2016 – losing to incumbent Greg Dionne in a four-man contest – is promising things will be very different this time.

“It’s less of I and me and it’s a lot more of you and your family,” he told paNOW Wednesday after submitting his nomination papers Tuesday. Today is the deadline to enter the race. “We need to get back to the basics of looking out for you and your family’s best interest.”

Morrow admitted there was a lot of turmoil four years ago. His campaign style was described as aggressive and he became involved in a public spat with the former editor of the Prince Albert Daily Herald newspaper.

This time around Morrow used that same newspaper to place a series of advertorials in recent weeks to share his personal story of adversity and to reintroduce himself to the public. He called those articles “extremely open” and said it wasn’t easy to “be very vulnerable like that and I think it has softened up a lot of people to see some of my hardships.

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“I don’t think trying something once and just walking away from it is something to keep my head high about,” he said. “I really wanted to come back, do better than I did last time. Obviously, I learned a heck of a lot. I had four years to grow, now as a father and family man, which has completely changed my perspective.”

He promised there would be “a huge change” compared to the turmoil of the last election.

“That election seemed to focus way too much on me and completely got off message. The reason why I’m doing this [again] is that I love this place, I love the people.”

Morrow, a professional project manager on the environmental side, has also been involved in a series of delinquent residential property tear downs across the city the last four years. He still owns some of those lots and said he had possible plans for those in the future.

His primary election platform issues are tackling crime and what he termed “shaping a new culture at city hall.

“The immediate issue — and it’s no surprise to anybody — is this city is overrun by drugs, guns, assaults, murders, drive-by shootings… that is stuff that is affecting each and everyone of us and it’s increasing rapidly. Secondly, just restoring the faith in our city council and to have a working, functioning relationship that is progressive and encouraging and an atmosphere of collaborative discussion and respect.”

There are three other mayoral contenders: incumbent Mayor Greg Dionne, Councillor Dennis Nowoselsky and Darryl Hickie.

View our special election section for all things municipal and provincial election.

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glenn.hicks@jpbg.ca

On Twitter:@princealbertnow