Councillors test out top seat

Councillors get to test out the hot seat following the approval of the 2025 deputy mayor schedule.

Council has approved the deputy mayor’s schedule for 2025. This includes the rotating roster of Councillors who will get a crack at the mayor’s seat and the committees they will represent.

Lloydminster Mayor Gerald Aalbers says the deputy position is an important one.

“You have committed, and you will be the first call from administration if I’m unavailable to attend an event or called upon in case I’m out of town,” he said.

The scheduled of deputy’s is as follows:

January/February – Coun.David Lopez

March/April – Coun. Justin Vance

May/June – Coun. Michele Charles Gustafson

July/August – Coun. Jason Whiting

September/October – Coun. Michael Diachuk

November/December – Coun. Jim Taylor

Mayor and council will also sit on a variety of boards around the town, 28 in total. Notable ones include Diachuk joining former Councillor Jonathan Torresan on the Vic Juba Community Theatre Board. Diachuk will be joined Lopez on the Lloydminster Region Housing Group. Aalbers will be sitting on the Lloydminster and District Health Advisory Committee. He says committee appointments will be reviewed at the end of the year.

“From the committee perspective, this will serve us from January to December of 2025 and we will take a review at that time see if anyone has a burning interest to change committees or we may be requested for additional committees because that’s always something we deal with throughout the year,” said Aalbers.

He says he’s thankful for council members helping on these various committees locally and provincially.

Council is required prior to Dec. 31 of each year to establish the deputy mayor’s scheduled for a two-month period on a rotating basis.