PREECEVILLE — The Rural Municipality of Preeceville ratepayers will be going back to the polls to elect a new reeve. Johnny Petryshyn, past reeve, resigned his position for personal reasons, and the call for nominations went out, with two candidates — Reg Yaremchuk and Merle Mastrachuk — putting their names forward.
The advance polls will be Oct. 18 at the RM office building, and the election will take place Oct. 22 at the same location.
Yaremchuk is a family man dedicated to the well-being of all the ratepayers in the RM of Preeceville.
“Many of you know me as the councillor for Division 5,” said Yaremchuk. “I have lived in the RM all my life, have raised a family, and run a mixed farming practice that keeps me close to issues that matter to our ratepayers. I believe in transparency, accountability, and working with integrity for the benefit of all ratepayers in the RM. I have been a councillor for 18 years, and my vast experience has shown me the importance of teamwork, with fellow councillors and employees for the benefit of the entire RM.
"My focus as a reeve would be respecting taxpayers' dollars while maintaining a balanced budget. Open communication is very important so all ratepayers stay informed. I want to ensure all divisions are equally represented with tackling tough decisions with fairness and integrity.
"As Reeve, I hope to continue working for you and making sure every ratepayer's voice is heard. Together we can make the RM of Preeceville a better place to live, raise a family, work and play,” concluded Yaremchuk.
Mastrachuk is opposing Yaremchuk in the race for reeve.
"Many of you will know and remember me, as I was born and raised here and have been farming here since 1992. This has helped keep me close to the community and realize that there are concerns and issues on the minds of the ratepayers of this municipality. This now gives me the opportunity to work on many of these concerns.
"I very strongly believe in transparency, accountability, with open and honest dialogue with people. With the number of years I was involved in the work world, it has taught me a number of skills, such as heavy equipment operation (20 years), building effective work teams, and a strong background in budgeting, amongst a list of other skills that would be beneficial and an asset to the R.M. team.
"My focus will be on strong fiscal responsibility with control of spending, whether necessary or unnecessary, while maintaining or improving our operating standards within the municipality. I will contribute to building an effective, manageable budget. I am also a progressive who believes there are numerous opportunities that we can ascertain and provide to the ratepayers of the R.M.," concluded Mastrachuk.
