My name is Stephen Ioannou, and I am running to be your City Councillor.
My wife and I moved to Martensville in July of 2022 after seeing the great potential for raising a family. Since moving here, I have had the privilege of becoming involved in the Kinsmen Club and have learned more about the wants and needs of our community’s residents.
I have been a Project Manager in the engineering and construction industry for the last 8 years. I have developed a strong work ethic and problem-solving skills that I will be able to utilize in all decision-making if I am elected to the council.
What made you want to run in this election? – I decided to run in this election because I wanted to give back and learn something new along the way. I have no previous experience that directly aligns with being a City Council member, but I have a strong background in construction that I feel would benefit the community I live in.
What do you feel sets you apart from other candidates? – As someone who moved to Saskatchewan from Ontario, I feel that I bring a fresh perspective on economic growth. Through working in the construction industry, I have gathered a broad range of experience and an understanding of Saskatchewan’s unique development processes that I can apply to our community.
In recent years, Martensville has seen tremendous growth, what do you think the most positive thing to come out of this has been, and what do you think are some of the negative impacts on such rapid growth? – In my opinion, the best thing that Martensville has done was fund the new Recreation Center, this creates a destination spot for the surrounding communities. The caveat to this is there seems to have been minimal pre-planning and feasibility studies done which may have highlighted some advantages and disadvantages of the chosen location such that the City could have accounted for the additional challenges.
What are your thoughts on the current policing within the community and how do you feel safety within the community could be improved if necessary? – During the forum, I outlined that we need to invest in police services. As the community grows and develops, there should be a collaborative effort between the community and the police force to alleviate anyone’s concurrences, as no one should feel unsafe in their community.
