Masters cautiously optimistic heading into Regina election

After a long campaign, Sandra Masters is hoping to become just the second woman to be mayor of Regina.

The civic election is set for Monday, and Masters is feeling cautiously optimistic about her chances.

“I’m going to leave that up to the voters. I’ve been completely energized by people’s reaction to my campaign and their outreach to me. It’s very energizing and also really humbling,” she said Friday.

However, there is one thing worrying her — whether people will weather the coming snowstorm to get out and vote.

“Hopefully, it won’t impede people getting out to vote. It seems like people are engaged this year,” she said.

She’s also managing to keep up her campaign efforts during the storm by holding live Q&A sessions on social media for prospective voters.

“People are staying home for the storm, so maybe more people will tune in,” she said with a laugh.

On the campaign trail, Masters said many people on the doorstep have told her they’re much more excited about local politics than they usually would be.

“The comments I get are, ‘We’ve never been interested in municipal politics or the election before, we’re interested this year, we’re excited.’ They’re tuned in and paying attention. We can even see it just in terms of the amount of questions we get in the inbox for for the campaign website,” she explained.

Masters said the best response she has had on the doorstep is from young people who haven’t voted before. She hopes to inspire them to care about how city politics affect their lives.

“You vote in the federal election because of overarching legislation as it relates to law … You vote provincially when you pay taxes … In my opinion, municipal elections, this is where you live day in and day out. This is where things happen that affect your life on a daily basis. In lots of ways, municipal elections are even more important,” she said.

If Masters wins, she would be the first woman to be elected mayor in Regina. Doreen Hamilton served as the city’s interim mayor in 1988 after Larry Schneider resigned to run in that year’s federal election.

Masters will go up against eight other candidates Monday to determine who will take Regina’s top job.