After considering entering the political arena for a number of years, Ryan Switzer has jumped into the race for a spot on Swift Current City Council.
Switzer, a freelance broadcaster and small business owner/operator, said the time is right for an attempt to enter municipal politics.
“I feel that I’m in a good place with an ample amount of life experience and still plenty of energy to execute the ideas that pop into my head. I just feel all around the time’s right.”
He feels he could bring a number of ideas forward to benefit the community.
“First and foremost, keeping Swift Current an affordable community to live in. In a post COVID world money’s going to be tight and we’ve got to look at managing taxes and keeping them affordable.”
“But having said that, there’s some infrastructure and facility needs that need to be looked after going forward. So we need to find some ways to keep Swift Current modern, and to keep the services that people take for granted running, to replace some aging facilities that have served our community really well but are at the end of their life span, and finding ways to do all that while still having that advantage of being an affordable community to live in.”
He noted the city has to find the right mix of affordability and spending restraint. They also need to team with the federal and provincial government on appropriate projects.
He added that the City also needs to look at efficiencies, and wondered if the Fire Department and City RCMP could potentially be in one location going forward.
“There’s going to be some unique opportunities and some unique challenges ahead. I thought the last decade in Swift Current was fantastic. Going forward we’re going to have some challenges and we’re going to need some creative people to manage those challenges.”
He is a strong supporter of constructing an Integrated Facility, and was disappointed that the city’s most recent grant application for funding did not work out.
“Going forward in the next 10 years I feel it’s something that we have to find a way, or make one for that to happen. Whether it’s reaching out to area communities, RM’s, continuing to look for that federal funding, or maybe even a public/private partnership. I feel that our community certainly needs some sort of an integrated facility. We have buildings like the Aquatic Centre and the Lt. Colonel Clifton Centre that have served us very well, but going forward we need young families who want to call this community home. And that integrated facility and being able to carry on with volleyball and basketball when schools aren’t available like in the situation we’re in right now because that’s key.”
Switzer added that his media and communications background makes him a good fit for council.
“Based on my experience in the media you deal with everybody. One day your day is dealing with CAO’s and Executive Directors and the big decision makers in Swift Current, and the next day you’re perhaps doing a project with the vulnerable sector and you’re working with those who are most in need.”
“I feel that I can be a very, very well informed voice at the table when it comes to any sort of discussion.”
