I’ve stayed oddly quiet in the #yxecc election—oddly quiet given how much I love #yxe and how much I believe in this city. So, to anyone who is wanting to listen, I’d like to share my story of working with @charlieclarkyxe for over three years as his policy and comms advisor.

At first glance, me taking a job as a (and I don’t like this term, but I’ll use it for the sake of expediency) “political staffer” seems logical. I had a BA in political studies from #USask and was working on a Master’s at #UVic. It fit, so to speak.

But the truth is—almost in spite of this interest in politics and knowing how important this sort of work was and remains—I was finding myself rather turned off from politics.

I don’t think that this is an uncommon experience. In fact, many political scientists—those fine folks that I had been reading in my academic career—have pointed out this growing trend in Canada and in many other democracies.

Then along came the civic election of 2016. For me, this was a breath of fresh air and an opportunity for actual leadership to move our city forward. It was a chance to overcome stagnation at a time when cities around the world were dealing with increasingly complex issues.

Charlie had announced that he was seeking election on a platform rooted in care for the community, in looking towards the future, and in harnessing the potential and talent of our community so Saskatoon could become a model prairie city. What’s more: he won.

This message of hope resonated with people, and it resonated with me. When the opportunity came up to work for him, I jumped on it.

From very early on after being hired into my role, I knew that Charlie was not (and never has been, and really never could be) a “stereotypical politician.” This just isn’t Charlie. He’s too genuine of a guy.

And this was a good thing for me: I could never work for a “stereotypical politician”—the person who speaks like they’re reading from a teleprompter all the time and who cares more about power and the spotlight than anything else. With Charlie, not once was this a concern.

What’s more, is that this was a good thing for the city. With him politics isn’t about the theatre of it or the games, it’s about the people. He cares about the city and the folks that call this place home, and this guides him more than anything else.

Over the three-plus years working for him, he was changing my cynicism into optimism—into a belief that if you work collaboratively and approach challenges head on, you can actually make progress that helps people out in meaningful ways.

He lives this by *actually* listening to people. Many folks might just look to the common ground, but he goes beyond this into the murkier waters of disagreement. This isn't for the sake of argument, but it's to get to a point of actual (as opposed to superficial) understanding.

He did this with everyone—always looking to understand someone and work to have others understand his own perspective. The sheer breadth of endorsements he has received attests to the fact that he can meet people where they are and doesn’t speak down to anyone.

Someone concerned only about media sound bites or simple solutions or asserting an ideology would not be able to do this. This sort of community building can only be done by someone who cares about the city and actually understands the complexity of the issues at hand.

I saw Charlie’s care for our community on a daily basis. I saw it when he was wrestling with complex issues before Council and we would talk it out, seek other opinions, and consider it from different angles and what it would mean in the short and long term.

I saw it when he showed up to the office after helping someone get back home to the Lighthouse when they asked him for help. (Of course, when the outreach van wasn’t available, he wheeled them back himself.)

I saw it when he made it a priority to visit high schools to speak with the young people in our community who were concerned about the state of the city that they will be inheriting and who had a vested interest in long-term success.

And I saw it in how he treated me as an employee. When I was at my lowest and my days were darkest, he demonstrated a care that I truly believe we are fortunate to have in someone helping to lead our city.

Throughout having my job, I learned a lot about our city, the matters at hand, and the complexities of leadership. I learned that while the mayor lacks a lot of formal authority, the true power of the office is only realized in how it works *with* the community.

Folks, I’m going to be blunt: someone offering easy, predetermined solutions isn’t offering you much of anything. We need someone promising to put in the work and to build on the collaborative spirit that runs throughout the history of our community. That is our path to success.

I know that with Charlie Clark we have the leader who can do this. I know this because I lived it—day in, day out—and I saw the spirit with which he approaches the work, the principles that he has, and the amount he cares about Saskatoon and its bright future.

This weekend when I go to vote, I’ll cast my vote for Charlie with the same optimism and enthusiasm I did in 2016. I know better now the scope of the challenges ahead of us, but I can be even more confident that with Charlie we’ll have the right person at the helm. #ImWithCharlie