Stuartburn reeve seeking re-election, Gawronsky: ‘This isn’t a job for me. This is a passion.’

RM of Stuartburn Reeve Michelle Gawronsky is running for re-election and she says there are projects she wants to see completed going forward and that being reeve is more than a job for her.

“This isn’t a job for me. This is a passion,” she said.

Gawronsky wants to run again because she said council is in the middle of getting work done that she wants to see come to completion, such as paving the roads so that semi-trailers can travel down them which will bring in business and with that tourism.

She said the re-paving of Highway 209 is complete and people can now travel over the bridge.

The water study for the RM has been completed and a public open house was held in mid-August where the results were shared with residents. She said council is continuing to draw attention to flooding of Sundown by Horseshoe Lake in Piney as a concern and the re-surfacing of Highway 201 has been awarded tender.

“I just see so many more opportunities for our community as we move forward. And working with our neighbors, our neighboring municipalities, this is going to be a bonus for everyone. So, I want to be there. I want to keep working. I want to keep plugging.

“And, you know, there’s just times when it’s easier to give the old lady what she wants, and that way she’ll shut up for you,” she said with a laugh.

Gawronsky said the government has taken notice of Stuartburn and its drainage issues, which the reeve said is the biggest issue right now in the RM. She said the province has also taken notice of other initiatives the municipality wants to implement such as paving roads and harvesting cattails, for which the RM received a grant of $30,000. She pointed to the recent visit by ministers of climate change and transportation as indicators that the province is engaged. She also said she would like the provincial government to recognize Stuartburn as a major aquifer for the province.

“We’ve got the ear and they respect what we’ve done. The ministers have been out. They’ve seen our community, and they see the value of us. So, I just want to keep staying on top of that.”

And while Gawronsky knows the importance of the seniors in Stuartburn as they can share their knowledge so that history doesn’t repeat itself, she also believes in Stuartburn’s youth and council is undergoing a youth study for they are the future, according to her.

“If we don’t respect the youth, we’re not going to have one. And they say only idiots keep repeating the same mistakes in history over and over…If we don’t want to keep making the same mistakes of the past, we have to go with change. And the youth is going to be the ones that are going to save us,” she said .

Gawronsky said the new strategic plan for the municipality (something that is provincially required every five years) is a living document that will guide council to make lasting impactful decisions in the coming years.

She said repaving roads is important to the plan as is working on drainage within the municipality, which includes working with the surrounding municipalities and the United States when it comes to drainage plans for the future.

“Whatever we do will affect them. Whatever they do affects us. So having a really good working relationship is paramount to me,” she said.

She said she feels a sense of energy in Suartburn since she became reeve four years ago. She said she can’t take credit for that energy as it is all of council that is responsible for that. She said this council is very progressive and is willing to think outside the box.

“And I just feel the community is, they’re feeling encouraged again,” she said noting the recent Gardenton Tractor and Truck Pull that happened Aug. 15 as an example.

Gawronsky has been living in the municipality since she was 15 years old. She was born in The Pas and her father moved the family to Alberta when she was 11 years old to farm. When “the bottom fell out of the market” in Alberta, the family moved to Roseau River where she grew up.

Gawronsky then met her husband and had four children and lives in Vita. The 67-year-old worked as a health care aid for seniors for 36 years and eventually became a paramedic. A back injury forced her onto a new career path as president of the Manitoba Government and General Employees Union, a post she held for almost 12 years.

“Oh, I love my RM,” she said, noting the community is her family. “There’s a camaraderie in this community. And when somebody’s down, we go help each other. We might complain like crazy that we’re doing it, but we are out there helping each other. And that is why I love this community.”

She said people should vote for her because she believes in them. While she’s not there to solve every problem, she is willing to listen to people’s concerns and will work with them to find a solution.