ESTEVAN — Tom Mauss, a candidate for Estevan city council, emphasizes the importance of collaboration and open dialogue as central themes of his campaign.
With a diverse background that includes decades of living in Europe and working in the European film industry, Mauss is now seeking to bring a fresh perspective to local governance.
Mauss was born in Western Germany, raised in Saskatchewan and Estevan, and then returned to Estevan in 2019 after living in Germany and Switzerland for almost 40 years. He currently works in the Saskatchewan film industry.
One of Mauss' key motivations for running is his desire to counter divisiveness, which he perceives as a growing problem in political discourse.
"I don't like the finger-pointing," he said. "Through my time in Europe, I saw that it can work differently. You can criticize or have a different idea or say that idea is bad without [resorting] to finger-pointing and name-calling."
He advocates for a more co-operative approach to policy-making, where ideas are valued on merit, rather than partisan lines.
"No one person, party or group has a patent on good ideas," Mauss explained. "Good ideas can come from anywhere, and we should be able to take them, work with them, and find a consensus, and sometimes it's not even necessarily finding that consensus."
Reflecting on his years living in Switzerland, Mauss noted the country's political system as a model for collaboration.
"There hasn't been a majority government ever. The executive is made up of seven people from four different political parties, and they have to find a way," he said.
Mauss also acknowledges the challenges facing Estevan, including the city's accumulated debt, which has been a concern for many residents. He commended the progress made in the past decade.
"They took on an accumulated debt of over $40 million, and it's down to about $13 million now," he said. "I think they're doing a great job, and of course, things go up and down, and there is a deficit on revitalization, but it's nothing to be extremely worried about."
Looking ahead, Mauss sees several important issues on the horizon for the city, including discussions around new facilities and the ongoing downtown revitalization.
"If people want the city council to look at certain issues, they're going to have to look at it," he said, pointing to an upcoming non-binding plebiscite on a new ice facility as an example of community-driven decision-making.
