Masters looking to get Regina moving

Sandra Masters believes Regina needs a change, and she believes she has the experience and the skills to provide it.

Masters is one of nine people running for mayor of Regina in the Nov. 9 civic election.

She believes the city is standing still. Masters said years ago, the city was building a stadium and the wastewater management plant was started, but she said not much is happening now, looking at the railyard development and the old Taylor Field site.

“We’re losing young people again. We’re losing out on opportunities from a business perspective … We’re having people move out of our downtown. We’re not able to attract people downtown,” said Masters.

She also points to the recreation master plan from 10 years ago and the one done last year, saying they are nearly the same.

“There are repeated examples of where we study, we plan, we report and then we do nothing. And I think people feel that — well, you can look around and see it,” said Masters, a former three-term chair of Regina Exhibition Association Limited.

But she has plans to change things.

Masters wants to build an aquatic centre, she wants to bring people into the downtown by doing things like fixing the sidewalks, and she thinks it’s a good idea to take the cobblestones out and allow traffic through the Scarth Street Mall.

Masters also talks about broader plans like partnering with the University of Regina on research and finding efficiencies to make City Hall run better and possibly cheaper.

“When you’re looking at efficiencies, what you’re looking to do is that if you go to work for eight hours, is there a way that you can perform your work more efficiently by removing a process or a policy that’s not helpful or it’s a hindrance to what it is you need to accomplish in a day?” she said. “Or can we provide you with a tool or a structure that allows you to do your job more efficiently?”

Masters is the only woman running for mayor this year and, if she were to win, she would be come the city’s first woman elected to the job. However, Masters said that isn’t really something she is concerned with.

“I’ve always been my gender, this is what I am, so I don’t have a comprehensive answer for you because it will be what it will be, and at the end of the day, what matters is that I show up and I work hard and I put the interests of Regina first and I champion the city. That will be my job,” said Masters.

When describing herself, Masters often talks about her kids and her life as a mother. She raised four kids mostly by herself and is now also a grandmother. Masters said raising her kids is the most significant thing she has ever done.

When she’s not working, Masters will spend time with her granddaughter to relax. She’ll also pick up a book — right now she’s reading “Outliers” by Malcolm Gladwell.

Like many, Masters said she also loves true crime. Her favourite podcast is “My Favourite Murder.”

Masters was born in Winnipeg and ended up moving around a lot with her parents. She moved to Regina when her kids were young and she has been here ever since. She said the years she has been in Regina comprise the most time she has lived anywhere in her life.