39-year-old woman joins race for Saskatoon mayor

We’re nine months from municipal election season and a new face is joining the race for mayor.

Erin Neufeld, 39, recently announced on her Facebook page her intentions to run for mayor on Oct. 26, promising to focus tax dollars on core services the current administration hasn’t delivered on fast enough.

“A big part of it is the roads in the city … and snow removal,” Neufeld said. “There are just so many services in the city that Saskatoon residents have been complaining about for years and don’t seem to be making the cut, and snow removal is one of them especially here in the core areas.”

Last year Mayor Don Atchison announced his intention to run for mayor again in 2016 at a business luncheon. If Atchison is reelected in 2016 it will make him the longest serving mayor in the city’s history.

But Neufeld said she’s heard Saskatoon is ready for a change at the top.

“I think the people of this city are ready for a change, not just in a leader, but the type of leader,” she said.

“I was brought up in a modest middle class family and I live a middle class life and I know how important it is to live on a budget. Saskatoon residents are ready to see their tax dollars stretched a little further to offer more for what they’re paying.”

Neufeld said the crux of her message to voters is she plans to focus on core priorities and services like garbage collection and city roadways.

With no previous political background, Neufeld takes pride coming into the mayoral race as an underdog. She said it’s something she’s overcome in the past.

Neufeld said she pushed to get on site at a construction company building hog barns when she was 26.

“I was working as a server only getting part-time hours and it wasn’t enough to cover my bills,” she said, adding after about three weeks of making a case for herself she was given a chance to work with a concrete crew.

“I was the first woman on site and I was in college and I worked every day and no one thought I would be able to do it. Not only did I work all summer but I was also asked to come back in the spring.”

More information about Neufeld can be found on her campaign Facebook page.

Neufeld said she plans to file her papers soon, with plenty of time to knock on doors and garner support for her bid. According to the City of Saskatoon mayoral candidates need 25 signatures and $100 to run for office.