Stephen Mogdan announces candidacy for mayor’s job

Tim Kalinowski

Lethbridge Herald

Prominent community figure, local business owner and lawyer Stephen Mogdan formally announced his candidacy to become Mayor for the City of Lethbridge during this fall’s election.

Mogdan made the announcement on the front steps of city hall in a chilly morning breeze on Thursday.

Mogdan said after having worn so many hats in the community over the past two decades he felt now was the right time to throw those hats in the ring to run for the office of mayor.

“I have been thinking about this kind of in the back of my mind for several years,” he told reporters during his announcement. “It started to really come to the fore over the last year when it certainly looked like there would be a good opportunity to be involved, and to be involved in that leadership role.”

Mogdan vowed to improve public discourse in the city and to bring a pragmatic approach to governance if elected.

“I am, as some of you know, a Cincinnati Bengals fan which means it is important for me to try to find hope in light in the midst of darkness,” he said in a light hearted moment before pivoting to get down to brass tacks. “And certainly we face a lot of challenges in Lethbridge in the coming months and years, both pandemic related and otherwise. My commitment is to lead our city through these so we emerge stronger and better positioned to move forward. Our municipal leadership needs to be steady and sensible, focusing on how we can improve the lives of the most Lethbridge residents while still doing that in a cost-effective fashion.”

Mogdan said he favoured a comprehensive approach to both the social issues facing the city and in addressing the needs of taxpayers and business owners in the community.

“It is a thorny issue,” said Mogdan referring to the social challenges Lethbridge is facing, “but it is not something we can dodge. We have to tackle that head on. We need to, number one, be compassionate, but we can’t be compassionate to the extent where we are sacrificing things like public safety and for people to feel like they can go anywhere in Lethbridge and not have to worry about safety.”

“What that really means is we are going to have to put in place greater resources for policing, for having relationships within the community with people who are suffering from those issues. And we need to work, frankly, on having in place those structures where people get rehabilitation if they need to do that. It’s a long road, but it is something we can do, and we have to do.”

Mogdan also said if elected he would ensure city council keeps its eye on the ball when it comes to addressing the economic fundamentals of both the municipal corporation and within the broader community of Lethbridge.

“We need to make sure we are doing everything we can to make it easier for our businesses to thrive, and for our citizens to make ends meet,” Mogdan stated. “I applaud council for their current approach to holding the line on tax increases. At the end of the day, if we have the perception of being a high-taxed municipality then that is going to slow growth and make things more difficult for our citizens.”

“That’s one of my main commitments,” he added. “It is not exciting, it is not sexy, but it needs to be done for the sake of the city.”

Mogdan has worked at Stringam LLP since 2001. Married with two grown children, Mogdan has held positions of prominence in both the Downtown BRZ and the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce. He is a member of the Lethbridge Economic Recovery Task Force, and has been involved with various local charities. He is past chair and current vice-chair of the Lethbridge YMCA. For more information on Mogdan residents can visit mogdan4mayor.ca.

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