REGINA - Chad Bachynski is all set to get to work as the newly elected Mayor of Regina.
“Humbling. Really humbling. Incredible to see the support,” was Bachynski’s reaction in speaking to reporters after he defeated Lori Bresciani and the incumbent Sandra Masters by a comfortable margin in Wednesday’s vote.
As for what he feels won the election for him, Bachynski felt there were a couple of reasons.
“One, people obviously want some change. You know, a change in what's been happening. Two, I think, you know, there was a lot of talk about, you know, backing and support and who's supporting who. And I confidently can say that we ran a true grassroots word-of-mouth campaign through and through. And I think that really resonated with people and that's what people took to heart.”
Bachynski spent most of Election Night at Regina Brewing, where there was plenty of excitement from his team of supporters as he took an early lead that he never relinquished.
“A lot of noise where we were,” Bachynski said. “There was a lot of excitement. I have the best hype man over here in the corner that was keeping everybody pretty excited. So I was trying to stay pretty grounded to make sure that we waited until things came in. But yeah, it was exciting to see.”
Once the results became known, Bachynski received a phone call from Masters congratulating him on his win.
“Yeah, it was great. It was very it was really respectful. Just congratulations and reaching out to offer support in transition in that. So I really appreciated that.”
On her Facebook page, runner-up Bresciani posted her congratulations to Bachynski. “Thank you to all who supported me to run for Mayor of Regina. Unfortunately it was not the outcome we were hoping for but I am so proud of my campaign team, for the hard work and long hours to want change! I want to congratulate our new Mayor Chad Bachynski and our new elected Council for the win. I wish you all the best.”
Bachynski came out of nowhere to win the mayor’s race. He had never run for elected office before although he said it was something he had considered before. Bachynski also had to work to get his name out in the mayor's race, taking on a crowded field of ten other opponents including two big names from the last council.
But his campaign slowly built support including good word on mouth on social media and online forums. During the final stretch run, his efforts seemed to catch a wave.
“You know, probably in the last two weeks, I would say, is when we really felt the momentum start to pick up,” Bachynski said. “Just in talking to residents and getting, I think, the messages and the stories, people saying like, hey, you know, I really believe in this. And yeah, I think in the last couple of weeks, it really felt like the momentum shifted in our favor.”
The 38-year old father of two will be sworn in Monday night at City Hall as the new Mayor, along with his new council.
During the campaign he had pointed to his experience in project management and felt that would serve him in good stead.
“I think for me, it's really the ability to understand and connect with administration and see when they're bringing projects forward, understanding the challenges, understanding everything down to terminology. I think that just hopefully makes things move quicker and we can take action a little faster.”
As for what residents can expect from him in terms of policy:
“My pillars were safety and affordability. I think some of that, especially on the affordability piece, a lot of people have talked about it. Some of the change is, I believe, being realistic. I've said, you know, I don't believe we can freeze property taxes. We need to be realistic. We need to balance the projects, balance the infrastructure, make sure that we're investing the right things at the right time. So that that is what I want to bring forward.”
His immediate priorities over the coming weeks will be “getting up to speed, meeting with council, understanding, you know, getting to know everybody, really. There's a massive amount of people and process to understand and learn. And yeah, I'm excited to get started and get at it.”
He is also unfazed at the prospect of working with a council made up overwhelmingly of new members, with only two incumbents returning.
“I've had the opportunity to build teams, bring in new people, work with new people, understand different personalities. I'm excited. I think it's great. I think that it's an opportunity for everybody. And I know, again, Regina has said they want change. This is a great opportunity to set a new tone for Regina.”
He told reporters that “collaboration, listening, respectful discourse (are) things that I've heard loud and clear that Regina expects.”
Bachynski also said the turnover on council reflected the mood for change.
“Again, Regina has spoken loud and clear. They want change. They wanted to see a different outlook, a different approach. So that's that's what I'm excited for. I'm excited that we're going to have some different perspectives. And that's a good thing. We're going to bring it together. And yeah, it'll be new. It'll be very new. But I think it'll be a good thing.”
