Morden will now be getting two new city council members as well as a new mayor in the upcoming by-election.
Following the earlier resignations of Florian Lassnig as councillor and then Brandon Burley as mayor, Nancy Penner announced this week she is resigning from council to seek the mayor’s chair in the Dec. 20 by-election.
“We obviously need strong leadership to carry this city forward,” Penner said Monday. “I believe in Morden, and I wanted to continue a second term as councillor with the city because I really believe in Morden and I wanted to be part of the team to continue to move Morden forward.
“I know I can represent our citizens with integrity, that I can build their trust, and I am ready to be the next mayor of Morden,” she continued.
“I have council experience. I have strong leadership skills. I have the time, and I’m fully dedicated to invest the time in Morden … and one of the big things is I do have unanimous support from council. That was the tipping point to put my name forward.”
Penner brings a range of experience to the table, including having served as deputy mayor in her first year on council.
Since then she has also has been serving as a central region director on the board of the Association of Manitoba Municipalities for three years in addition to a number of city committee roles.
“My involvement with [AMM] has allowed me to really build relationships outside the community … and I think that role with AMM will serve me well.”
Penner recalled the challenges faced when she first came on council five years ago, including significant staff turnover and the fallout from Morenet, but she also observed how much things have stabilized and moved forward since then.
“If somebody had told me what our first year was going to be like, I may have had second thoughts,” she reflected. “We are in a totally different spot right now. We have such a strong team on council, and we have such a strong city manager in Nicole Reidle, and she has a strong team of department heads and staff.
“Mayor Burley left the city in a strong position, and we do have a strong base to work from now,” Penner concluded.
The vacant mayoral and two council seats will now be filled through the by-election set for Dec. 20.
Originally the City had announced it was holding two separate by-elections for mayor and what was then one vacant council seat, but it has since revised those plans to do it all in one go.
Prospective candidates are required to register with the senior election official during the registration period that concludes Nov. 14.
Anyone interested can contact senior election official Ted Fransen at 204-799-3817 or email to seomorden2022@gmail.com for further information.
