Meet the candidates vying for mayor's office in Brandon

It’s a two-way race for mayor in Brandon, with Manitoba's second largest city set to have a new mayor come the Oct. 26 election.

Elliott Oleson is one of two people vying for the mayor's job in Brandon, but you won't see his face on a sign or pamphlet.

“I hate election signs. Every election, these things pop up like boulevard litter all over the place,” he said in an interview on Thursday.

Elliott Oleson.

Oleson said he is different than a typical council candidate.

“[I] sobered up and was just re-entering the work force when Covid hit,” he said.

With time on his hands, Oleson took a look around the neighbourhood he spent much of his life in and began advocating for it.

The mayoral race has given him an opportunity to get in front of residents and decision makers to advocate for issues such as homelessness, city spending, and revitalizing abandoned downtown buildings.

“We can fix them or we can just continue with the empty outward expansion and the bloat while the inside rots away,” Oleson said.

Jeff Fawcett is the other candidate running for Brandon’s mayor.

“We love this city. Everybody I see out here loves this city. We think there's so much opportunity,” Fawcett said.

Jeff Fawcett

He served three terms as a city councillor and has businesses in Brandon.

Now, he said it’s time for his next big move.

“I’m ready for the challenge of the full time position of mayor.” he said.

He wants to use the mayoral position to build on current Indigenous relations, add more recreation and work with other levels of government.

“And just making sure that Manitoba knows that they have a second city in this province,” Fawcett said.

Fawcett wants Brandon to be a hub for surrounding communities.

“We need to all be on the same page and the leadership role is to help,” he said.

Both candidates said they want to see Brandon grow and hope they can help the city do just that.

In Brandon, advanced voting for mayor, school board trustees and six of the 10 wards has begun. The other four wards have acclaimed councillors.