Mayoral candidate Josh Morrow poses beside his campaign material. (Alison Sandstrom/paNOW Staff)

By Alison Sandstrom

Platform announcement

Morrow pledges to bring ‘professionalism, respect and empathy’ to city hall

Oct 19, 2020 | 4:17 PM

Prince Albert mayoral candidate Josh Morrow is promising to bring a “family first approach” to city governance if elected.

Morrow touted his collaborative leadership style at a press conference Monday where he released a 10-point election platform. Reducing crime, supporting local business and improving city services and utilities are among his priorities.

Morrow was a controversial figure when he ran for mayor in 2016. But on Monday, he said as new father and family man, he’s learned to approach things a different way and wants to lead by example in creating a new culture at city hall.

“We have to have professionalism, respect and empathy,” he told reporters. “We have to have everybody pulling in the same direction to really accomplish things for the city.”

“I guess I see our council and city hall as one family and there has to be a figure at the centre of that and that’s our mayor,” he continued.

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If elected, Morrow said he would initiate a review of the water utility and look for ways to save residents money on their bills.

He also wants to improve city services including waste management, and pointed to response times for fire and police in the city as specific areas in need of urgent improvement.

“I don’t believe we’re getting the timely service we need from the police department,” he said. “I know a lot of people have spoken to me about being fifth, sixth or seventh in the call queue when they have an emergency and that’s nothing against our police department but they’re overworked. That’s a massive concern for me.”

Morrow also vowed to make Prince Albert “the most business friendly city in Saskatchewan by the end of [his] first term in office” with a specific focus on supporting local businesses.

“We’re going to start promoting this city in a positive way like no one’s ever seen before,” he said, adding he would do everything within his power to assist local businesses, including creating marketing videos for them.

Morrow said he will flesh out specific areas of his platform, including a plan to reduce crime in the coming weeks.

“I’m here to give back, I’m here to do the absolute best I can for you and your families,” Morrow said, addressing Prince Albert residents. “I truly want people to understand that we can do so much better here than what we’ve done in the past.”

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom