A current member of Morden city council is hoping to move over to the mayor’s chair in this fall’s municipal election.
Councillor Brenda Klassen last week announced her candidacy for mayor when Morden voters go to the polls in October.
“I ran for council in 2023 based on a platform of advocacy, transparency and efficiency, and I worked tirelessly towards that end since winning,” Klassen said. “I also realized I could be more effective in promoting this platform as mayor.”
She enters the race after having received over 60 per cent of the votes in the 2023 by-election.
“I’m so humbled and honoured by the support I received from the voters of the city of Morden,” Klassen said. “I believe that show of support was fuelled by an urgent and collective sense that those key values, my values that I share with many in our community, were of critical importance to the future of our city.”
A 38-year veteran of the nursing profession, Klassen brings a career’s worth of dedication and advocacy to her leadership. She and her husband, Ken, are long-time Mordenites who chose the community as the place to raise their family.
“Managing the status quo is no longer sufficient to meet the evolving needs of our community,” said Klassen. “We are at a critical juncture. My vision is to shift our focus toward proactive, modern solutions that prioritize transparency and efficiency.”
Key priorities of Klassen’s campaign include:
– Advocating for creative solutions to complex issues such as waste water: engagement and collaboration with partners and experts to find solutions to the challenges Morden is facing.
– Cultural shift: establishing a tone at the top that values respectful debate, fresh perspectives, and efficiency in council decision-making.
– Transparency and accountability with more frequent and relevant communication from council along with increased accessibility to the work of council.
Klassen said there were a number of people who encouraged her to consider running for mayor, but it wasn’t an easy decision to reach.
“I looked at what it takes, looked at where I’ve been,” she said. “I’ve had many years of health care experience doing a lot of advocacy work for individuals and families, so to think about advocating for my city isn’t a big stretch for me. It’s kind of a natural evolution.”
Why not just continue as a councillor?
“I’m imagining some people could think that,” she said. “There could be some turnover this next time if not everyone seeks re-election … I debated that for awhile, and my husband and I sat down together and kind of looked at this whole situation, and it was just that it was time to take that risk.”
Klassen feels she is well prepared for the role.
“There’s always more one can learn, but I’ve tried to take every opportunity to learn from my fellow councillors, other councils. I ask lots of questions of other people,” she said.
“I’m passionate about our community, so to think about stepping up for my community, that’s not hard, and I see some opportunities for perhaps a culture shift in council and more transparency and accountability with more frequent and relevant communication from council along with increased accessibility to the work of council. I think those are things I have heard from people including maybe a tone at the top that values respectful debate, fresh perspectives and efficiency in council decision making.
“So I see an opportunity for a more collaborative team approach to leading our community.”
