A third candidate has joined the race to be the next mayor of Estevan.

Jim Halladay, who owns the M&H Taxi company in Estevan, filed his nomination papers on September 17. He joins two current members of Estevan City Council – councillors Roy Ludwig and Lynn Chipley – in the battle to replace Gary St. Onge as Estevan's mayor.

Halladay said he decided to run after receiving encouragement and support from people in the city.

“I've been in business for 40 years now, and I thought that 'If I'm ever going to give anything back to the community the way they've given it to me, now's the time,'” said Halladay.

There weren't any new people stepping forward to challenge for the mayor's job, so Halladay decided that he would take on Ludwig and Chipley.

Halladay decided to run for mayor, as opposed to councillor, because that was the wish of the people he talked to. Halladay has never been a part of city council, and this is his first attempted foray into municipal politics.

Community engagement is an important part of his platform. He would like to see more people become involved in city planning to help Estevan move forward.

“There should be more people involved, and I don't think it should all be us that are close to retirement,” said Halladay. “I think there should be some young people with some new ideas.”

People in the business community and in other sectors can provide some valuable input, and their advice can be very valuable to the community, Halladay said, but Council hasn't always done a good job of seeking their opinions.

Infrastructure is a very serious problem, he said, but Halladay recognizes that it won't be solved overnight, and that the problem won't be solved by holding the line on property taxes.

“But I think we have to be aggressive with our plan, and go with where it needs to be done now,” said Halladay. “There are things that need to be fixed, but they can wait a little bit.”

Halladay said many of the roads in Estevan have been deteriorating for the last 20 years.

He believes he would be able to dedicate enough time to the job of mayor, if he is elected. His taxi business is at the point where Halladay thinks he can be away from it for an extended period of time, and that would allow him to focus on the mayor's post as a full-time job.