Decter Hirst ready to launch mayoral bid

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This article was published 30/04/2010 (5619 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

She was first out of the gate to announce her intentions to take over Dave Burgess’ job. Now it appears Shari Decter Hirst will be the first one to officially start campaigning to be Brandon’s next mayor.

Due to new election financing rules implemented by the province, individuals running for mayor cannot officially register to be a candidate or begin campaigning until May 1 — tomorrow.

But since Brandon City Hall isn’t open on weekends, Decter Hirst tells the Sun she’ll visit the city’s senior elections official on Monday afternoon to kickstart her campaign.

"I am raring to go," she said. "I’ve spent six months talking to all kinds of folks around Brandon about the kind of Brandon that they want to live in, so we have a very exciting platform that we want to start sharing with people."

Decter Hirst will begin a six-month leave of absence from her role as Assiniboine Community College’s fundraising chair this afternoon — a bittersweet moment she joked marked the "first time since 15 years old" she hasn’t collected a paycheque.

"It’s going to be a tough, uphill battle (and) a lot of work we’re going to have to do," she said. "But my commitment is to work as hard as I possibly can … I’ll knock on every door, I’ll be on every front stoop and talking to folks over every fence and hedge in Brandon, making sure that they know that there is an alternative vision for our city."

Burgess, meanwhile, says he would rather finish the job he was re-elected to do back in 2006 before heading back out on the campaign trail.

"I’m actively working in the job that I’m in, so I really won’t be out there campaigning until late summer, at the earliest," he said. "As far as I’m concerned, people don’t want to hear people at the doorsteps until after the summer.

"But that doesn’t mean I won’t be answering to any political electioneering or challenges … I’ll certainly be responding to that at any time."

Though former mayoral candidate Deborah Boschman has indicated in numerous communications with the Brandon Sun that she would again be running, she has never officially or publicly declared such intentions.

But if there are any other would-be candidates out there, now is certainly the time to come forward, says Brandon University political science Prof. Kelly Saunders.

"It’s discouraging that there’s not more people stepping up," Saunders admitted. "I hope other people do step in because it’s good for democracy."

If Brandon’s mayoral race does end up being a two-person showdown between Burgess and Decter Hirst, heavy favour lies with the incumbent, she noted.

"People will say ‘I don’t really know much about what’s going on, I haven’t really been following the issues. I might as well go with the safe choice’. And the safe choice is usually the incumbent … that’s unfortunate, too."