Blaine Hyggen to run again for a spot on City Council
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LETHBRIDGE – In front of an enthusiastic crowd at the Nord-Bridge Senior’s Centre where he frequently volunteers, Blaine Hyggen announced his intention Friday afternoon (Sept. 15) to run for a second term on city council.
Hyggen says over the last four years, he’s been on a number of different committees, including the Lethbridge Housing Authority, Municipal Planning Commission, the Canadian Urban Transit Association, Community and Social Development, Finance Committee and Transportation Committee.
He again addressed an LNN article regarding travel expenses and per diem expenses councillors have claimed over the last four years, which showed he spent more than his budget of $10,500 in three out of four years.
“I am here to tell you I am not proud of spending over that amount. But I want you all to know that by spending those funds, that has helped the community immensely…sometimes there’s an investment, to get a great return on that investment.”
Hyggen says he wants people to see what individual councillors spend, and to know that each time a they take a trip or expense something, it is done so with the approval of the mayor and city manager. He also mentioned again, that while each councillor has a ‘budget’ of sorts, the money for all of their expenses comes from one account which has never approached its limit in four years.
If re-elected, he says he hopes to finish work that was begun during his first term, like approving a new Transit Master Plan, overseeing the opening of the ATB Centre, contributing to the new CIP, and following up on a number of other local projects.
