Clay DeBray is calling it a career – at least as far as his tenure as an elected official is concerned. Following the closed portion of the Sept. 9 Meadow Lake city council meeting, DeBray turned to social media to announce his intent not to seek re-election in the Nov. 13 municipal vote.
“At last night’s city council meeting, I announced to my colleagues I will not be seeking re-election in the next municipal election,” DeBray stated in a Sept. 10 Facebook post. “Thank you to all the citizens of Meadow Lake who supported me the last four years, and thank you to all the city staff, mayor and councillors for all the work they do to make our city a great place to live. I learned a tremendous amount about our community and was privileged to be your voice to try and make Meadow Lake as best as it can be.” DeBray, who serves as manager of Snipe and Celly Sports Excellence and PineRidge Ford Place on Flying Dust First Nation, was one of two newcomers elected to council Nov. 9, 2020. At the time, he said he decided to seek a position on council because he enjoys being part of a team and organizing/planning initiatives that progress the community.
“I am interested in continuing the strong partnerships between businesses, the RM and surrounding First Nations,” DeBray told Northern Pride prior to being elected. “Diversity is always an area of lengths to be brought forward, as are community safety, inclusions of all voices within our city, infrastructure, beautification initiatives and by addressing the issues I have hear on doorsteps. It is going to be a team approach for sure. I always enjoy listening to people to find solutions to better our city. Once these solutions are met, I will work hard to address them and they will be yours to keep.” Going forward, DeBray encourages other potential candidates to consider throwing their hats into the election ring.
“As nomination papers will be released, please consider putting your name forth so our community can continue to grow,” he said. “Thanks again.” Meanwhile, the Sept. 9 meeting also saw council amend its upcoming meeting schedule to accommodate the Nov. 13 election. “As Nov. 13, 2024 is the general election day, the regular council meeting schedule must be amended to align with Section 10(4) of Procedure Bylaw no. 3/2015 which states, ‘The first council meeting shall be held on the Monday immediately following a general election…,’” noted city clerk Kaila Lefort in her official recommendation to council. “The purpose of holding a regular council meeting the Monday immediately following a general election is so the returning officer can provide council with a copy of the declaration of results with respect to the election; and so every council member can take the oath of office pursuant to The Cities Act.”
After a brief discussion, council approved altering the post-election schedule to include regular meetings Nov. 18 as well as Dec. 2 and Dec. 16.”