ESTEVAN - Jason LeBlanc is the new reeve of the RM of Estevan.
LeBlanc was acclaimed for the role on Thursday after Janet Severson withdrew her nomination form.
In an interview with the Mercury, LeBlanc said he put his name forward as he wanted to get more involved with local politics ahead of trying times.
"I don't really have any issues with the current council … I just felt that I could bring some added value to the game. I look forward to leading and working with the council and maybe bringing a little bit of forward-thinking ideas to the entire RM that's going to be faced with a big game coming up here, which is most likely going to be the loss of the coal mine, which is probably the largest amount of income coming to the RM," LeBlanc said.
"So I just felt that if I was to get on the council and learn a few things and learn procedures, that I could bring some positive energy to it."
While LeBlanc hasn't been involved with local politics before, he believes that his experience in other areas will be valuable for the community moving forward.
"I'm a farmer, a business owner, I have properties in the city and out of the city. And I just want to get more involved in it and learn all the time," LeBlanc said.
While he has a few things keeping him busy, last year he retired from the auctioning business, which he said was taking up to 70 per cent of his time. Now some of this time can be dedicated to the needs of the RM.
LeBlanc plans to learn from the council and only after that move forward with suggesting any ideas.
"I'll be heading in there in the next week or so to get a mandate. I've already read some of the procedural books and I think we are going to be okay," LeBlanc said.
"In the end, the taxpayer is the boss and I'm on a council and I only have one vote. But hopefully, we can move forward and strategize and make things very positive. That's all I want to do."
Severson and LeBlanc filed their papers prior to the 4 p.m. deadline on Aug. 25. They had until 4 p.m. the following day to withdraw their documents, and Severson ultimately decided not to run.
"I know the person that was going to run and she's a very, very fine lady. I knew her from years past in the auction business. And it was okay, either we had an election or not. And I have total respect for her. She was a good candidate as well," LeBlanc said.
Former reeve Terry Keating stepped down in the spring, as he has moved to Alberta. Don Hilstrom has been the acting reeve since that time.
