Michael Fougere looks back on 'dream job' as Regina's mayor after two terms

Two-term Regina mayor Michael Fougere lost to Sandra Masters in Monday's 2020 municipal election.

Now he is reflecting back on his 23 years in public service as a city councillor and Regina's mayor. 

Responses have been edited for length and clarity. 

CBC: To start, what's your reaction to the election results? 

Fougere: I'm obviously disappointed. I would like to have had a different outcome, but I also accept the verdict of voters. Voters are always right. They were looking for change and they made that point and I fully accept the verdict.

What's your message to your supporters? 

It's an honour and a pleasure to have been first a city councillor and then mayor for the city. It was my dream job and I'm so happy and honoured to have been in this role for 23 years.

I have nothing but gratitude to residents, to voters, and I respect their decision completely. I wish the new council all the best. I'm wishing mayor-elect Masters all the best in her role as well.

What are some highlights when you think back over your public service career?

First is being elected. The first time is always the most dramatic. I was acclaimed three times as councillor for Ward 4, but I would say the act of being elected the first time times was pretty incredible.

The stadium is a highlight of my career. The wastewater treatment plant referendum and the building of that facility was also important, but also our emphasis on infrastructure renewal, planning for growth and development.

Equally important is that during my time on council and as mayor, we saw a dramatic growth in the international immigration to our city and we're very proud that our city is seen internationally as a place to live, invest and raise a family.

There are many, many highlights. That includes the members of council I worked with. They're all great people, all wanting in their own way to serve and make us a better city and respect our differences in our similarities as well.

Were there challenges you overcame in your 23 years?  

The biggest challenge, I would say, was the referendum for the wastewater treatment plant. We have not had a referendum for six years before that. So I was pleased with the outcome of that one.

The other challenge, which we are facing right now, is COVID-19 and we're not through that yet. That, to me, is the great unknown as to how and how much longer to have COVID-19 with us and will it get any worse before it gets better?

Do you think your campaign underestimated Sandra Masters? 

Not at all. I know who she is, I've met her before. I take every candidate seriously. And I don't mean that in a trite way.

Everyone is important and I did the best I could. I had in my view, the best campaign team, the best strategy. But at the end of the day, it's the residents who make the final decision and they did that.

I don't think anyone who's running for office lightly. That would be condescending and I'm not that kind of a person.

Do you have any words of advice for the new councillors, given that's where you started?  

The first important thing is to listen and to learn. There's lots of time for debate, lots of time for discussion.

Build your relationships between and among yourselves so that you have a working relationship with fellow councillors and with the mayor and with the administration. But patience is important. Listen first and talk later.

Share and talk about your values and your priorities as a councillor, what you want to achieve. Often from that, you begin to forge a good coalition and a good overall perspective of which path to take.

What's next for you?  

I'm going to take my time and just relax and spend more time with my kids, who are now adults, and my wife. I'm going to do some running and some reading , play my drums for my band and just relax.

I'll think about what I want to do in the next couple of weeks.

What do you hope people remember you by? 

That's a tough one. I just don't think in terms of legacies at all.

When people think of me, I hope they think of someone who dedicated his public life to serving the best city in Canada and making us a better place. I worked well with my fellow colleagues and we got along well and got some good things done.

So nothing earth shattering, other than to say that I hope people will see the earnestness in my desire to make Regina a much better place.

Do you have any advice for the new mayor-elect Sandra Masters?

I think that would be between me and her, if we were to have that kind of conversation. I would just simply say to her that enjoy this because it's a remarkable adventure, working with wonderful people.

You have tough decisions to make, but when you make those decisions in the best interest of the city, then the reward is incredible. It is listening first and talking later.