Continuing the battle

As noted by LRT last week, the end of the Saskatchewan NDP leadership race should transition nicely into the beginning of the municipal campaign season, as other than incumbents and a the occasional candidate who's far ahead of the game there seem to have been few people focusing on the municipal races before now. And the Leader-Post reports on an intriguing development in Regina, as longtime school board member John Conway is leaving open the possibility of a run for city council after announcing he doesn't plan to seek re-election in the wake of the Sask Party's top-down education funding policy:

Before the changes were announced with the provincial budget this spring, he planned to "continue the battle" for smaller schools and class sizes, and better-funded, enhanced education levels.

"I intended to continue down that road and hoped that there would be a new majority after the election, but with this decision by the provincial government, that's simply not in the cards anymore," he said in an interview, alluding to the fact some of his views have contrasted with those of the majority of current trustees. "Without taxing power, I see no reason to run for elected public office — you can't do anything except administer what the province decides."
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Conway, whose degrees include a doctorate in political sociology and whose accomplishments include numerous published works, said he has rejected the idea of running for city council before because he felt education was more important — while he hasn't decided his course going forward, a run at a spot on council is now one possibility.

"I'll probably stay active in the community. I haven't thought about that yet," he said of a council run. "It's obviously a possibility, but I'm going to deal with this first, and then see what happens."

It remains to be seen who else will come forward over the next few months. But a Conway run for council would make for an excellent start in adding some life to this fall's election - and hopefully he'll be one of many candidates offering a much-needed break from the same old same old in Regina's municipal scene.