By Aaron Mahoney (@Mahones93 on Twitter)

When it comes to a bid for city council, Mikuliak focused on the process over the product

Oct 4, 2017 | 3:57 PM

LETHBRIDGE – David Mikuliak decided to run for city council because he wanted to experience the process, but a desire for public service is fueling him as election day draws near.

Mikuliak is currently a teacher at Chinook High School, teaching music and music theatre, and says he’s enjoyed getting to talk to people about issues and is focused on making the city better.

“I really wanted to learn about the process of running in a civic election, and learn more about our civic government. Through the surveys and the questions that people have asked I’ve had to do a fair bit of research and digging, and I’ve learned a heck of a lot as a result,” Mikuliak said. “I think that was sort of the goal in the first place, I wanted to run but I also wanted to learn.”

Mikuliak says he’s had numerous conversations with young voters, and as an educator himself he’d like to see the youth vote go up.

“Clearly trying to drive up the youth vote is important, but I think getting excitement up in general for people is important. I think one in three voters actually cast ballots during our civic elections, which I find to be troubling quite honestly. I’d love it if there was more engagement this time around, to show that the process in our community is actually having an impact on a bigger number of people. It’s important to have more people interested in this realm, so they actually want to vote and care about issues,” Mikuliak said.

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Mikuliak has lived in Lethbridge for 31 years after coming over from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, and one of the main focuses of his campaign is making sure community matters as the city grows.

“I think we’re at an important period in our history. We’re closing in on 100,000 people in our community, and often times in other communities who hit that milestone you seen another spur of growth that supports that increased population,” Mikuliak continued. “Typically you’re dealing with a jump from 100,000 very quickly to 115,000 or 120,000. Planning for growth in a very proactive way is something I’m very focused on in my bid for council.”

But in saying that Mikuliak added that even if you plan for growth, when you’re dealing with an influx of people there’s also a rise in the number of disenfranchised as well.

“Looking out for those people who are homeless, addicted to substances or living in poverty. We need to make sure as a city we are taking care of the people that are most at risk, and that’s a big platform piece for me as well,” Mikuliak added.

Where some first time challengers have spoken out against members of the current council and the job they’ve done, Mikuliak says he has no issues with any of the current councillors.

“I think they’ve provided great service to the city, and have done a really great job. I think having 29 people run for council provides citizens with a choice, and that’s a good thing.”

Mikuliak says gathering viewpoints from people with different opinions, and then being able to funnel those opinions into policies is another thing a councillor needs to be able to do.

“I think our council has done a pretty good job of that, and I like to think I’m wired in a similar fashion to be able to fulfill that duty,” Mikuliak said.

The bottom line for Mikuliak is everything he’s approached in his professional sphere has been with a lot of energy and enthusiasm and that’s what he’s brought to the race so far and will continue to bring until election time.

“Emphasis on the process, over the product. I think what I would bring to this job is what I bring to every job, a real embracing of what are the processes in place that make the product excellent, and that are also really easy to follow so people understand what the processes are,” Mikuliak stated. “A lot of people have been talking about accountability, and really I think accountability relates back to clarity and communication. I’ve always had great success as a communicator and a teacher. So those skills, and a real positive mindset, are what I believe would be great assets for me as a councillor for the city.”