Former Regina mayor throws support under Bresciani campaign

Standing with his “I Love Regina” sweater on, former Regina mayor Pat Fiacco put his support behind candidate Lori Bresciani.

“Lori had the right answers to my questions,” Fiacco said. “Her desire for a better city is what convinced me to come out today.”

Bresciani served as Ward 4 councillor for two terms, before leaving her seat to run for mayor. On Tuesday, she launched her platform “Re-focusing Regina.”

“I love Regina. I have lived here for 45 years,” Bresciani said at her campaign headquarters. “I am proud of our city, that is why I am running for the mayor.”

Fiacco’s support stems from his belief that Bresciani has the leadership skills to unite council once again.

Fiacco believes Bresciani has the leadership skills to unit city council again. (Gillian Massie/ 980 CJME)

“Through some dysfunction over the last number of years within city council, we’ve lost our way,” he said.

After feeling “disappointed” and “embarrassed” by some of the disagreements on council, Bresciani said she wants to lead councillors to operate on the same team.

The platform Bresciani put forward was the result of the conversations she’s had while door knocking.

She spoke about how her plan is geared to creating more economic and job opportunities. She hopes to revitalize the downtown by bringing post-secondary campuses downtown.

“It’s one thing to have people downtown, but we need people to remain and stay downtown,” Bresciani said.

While sitting as a councillor, Bresciani brought forth concerns about building a new indoor aquatic facility after costs ballooned $84 million over budget.

If elected, Bresciani said she will ask city administration to explore other options, looking into regional money that could be gathered, before committing to a new build that would replace the Lawson Aquatic Centre.

“Is it a better to close a pool and open another one, or is it better to look at two options of a pool?” Brescaini said. “That’s all I want to look at.”

Bresciani said she wanted to advance safety in the city with the expansion of the alternative response officer program, and working with other levels of government to improve addictions and mental health services.

When the “I Love Regina” sign came down in front of city hall in 2022, Fiacco said it was disappointing.

“Don’t be afraid to tell the world that you love Regina,” he said. “I love Regina.”

Bresciani vowed to restore the sign if re-elected as mayor.

“I want to ensure that we are proud of our city,” she said. “We love our city.”

“Our city in this four years has never looked so bad.”