COLUMN: Think Again – Thank you for letting me serve

By the time you read this column, I will no longer be a city councillor. It feels a little surreal to be writing this, particularly since council has been a huge part of my life.

I’ve served in Steinbach City Council for a total of 20 years. First elected in 2006, I was subsequently re-elected in 2010, 2014, 2018, and 2022. That’s a lot of elections, and a long time to serve in any position.

In that first election, I was only 30 years old. I wasn’t well-known in Steinbach at the time, and I knew that having an unusual last name wouldn’t help me at the ballot box. So, I did everything I could to raise my political profile.

I sent regular news releases to The Carillon and Steinbachonline. I bought newspaper and radio ads, put up election signs all over the city, and, most importantly, conducted an extensive door knocking campaign. By election day, I had personally knocked on over 4,000 doors.

My campaign slogan was “Fresh Ideas, Traditional Values.” I wanted people to know that while I had some new ideas, I wasn’t looking to overturn the values our city was built upon. After all, those values of faith, family, and hard work are a huge part of what has made our city so successful over the years.

On election night in 2006, I was honoured when the people of Steinbach elected me to serve on city council for the first time.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t the most effective councillor in my early years. That’s because I didn’t make much effort to develop relationships with my fellow councillors. I thought that making my arguments forcefully during council meetings would be good enough. It wasn’t.

I learned the hard way that being a loner is a poor way to get things done. The longer that I served on council, the more I came to appreciate the diverse perspectives and unique backgrounds of each of my council colleagues. We do not elect just one person to govern our city; we elect a council.

As I reflect on the last 20 years, I’m grateful to have served with outstanding colleagues, two fantastic mayors, and top-notch city staff. Working as a team, we were able to accomplish many great things as our city continued to grow. Building the Southeast Event Centre, upgrading multiple highway intersections, enhancing critical infrastructure, and expanding our city’s borders are just a few of the many highlights from my time in office.

But most of all, I want to thank the people of Steinbach for giving me the opportunity to serve you over the last twenty years. It truly is a privilege to be able to represent the best city in the country, and it’s something that I never want to take for granted.

While some media reports have described me as a “retiring” councillor, I obviously have no intention of retiring from public service. As the nominated candidate for the Progressive Conservative Party of Manitoba, I will be campaigning to be the next Steinbach MLA whenever the provincial election is called next year.

Even though I’m looking forward to this new challenge, it’s still hard for me to leave council behind. But as Ecclesiastes 3:1 says, “For everything there is a season and a time for every matter under heaven.” My time on council has truly been a meaningful season in my life.

Thank you again for allowing me to serve you on city council for the last 20 years. I hope that I will have the opportunity to keep serving you at the provincial level whenever the election is called.

Michael Zwaagstra is a teacher, former deputy mayor of Steinbach, and the PC candidate for the Steinbach Constituency. He can be reached at mzwaagstra@shaw.ca.