Melina Bushenlonga has ideas to improve Regina, like building a metro line for transit and convincing Elon Musk to bring his business to Saskatchewan.
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Melina Bushenlonga was born in Greece, has lived in the Middle East and Switzerland and is now looking to bring parts of those places to Regina if successfully chosen as the city’s next mayor.
Bushenlonga came to Saskatchewan 10 years ago and says she decided to run for mayor because she takes issue with Regina’s level of crime, cost of living and the state of the city’s infrastructure.
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“Regina is a farm community. It’s not Toronto and will never be Toronto and that is something that I love,” she said in a recent interview. But she says Regina feels like a “third-world” country.
Bushenlonga has worked in the restaurant and hospitality field, as a recruiter for the private security company GardaWorld and as a model overseas. She feels those experiences give her a set of human resource skills fit for someone looking to lead the city.
“Being a mayor is kind of like a constant improvement job and it’s not a fixed job with a fixed target,” she said.
As for why not first try for a seat on city council, Bushenlonga said she felt mayor was a better choice. For her, the rising cost of living is affecting too many people, made worse by property taxes and city spending on big projects.
She said a top priority would be to “micromanage” where tax dollars are going, but has plenty of other ideas she’d also pursue if elected.
That list includes moves to renovate the Lawson Aquatic Centre instead of replace it (similar to fellow mayoral candidate Lori Bresciani) add a metro line transit service through the city going both above and below ground and create a community supermarket in Washington Park with locally produced food.
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Bushenlonga said her campaign is trying to contact Elon Musk and convince him to set up shop in Regina, since he has familial ties with the city; she suggested a nuclear energy plant. She also thinks Regina is a perfect place to build windmills to generate energy, similar to Switzerland.
“Nuclear is the cleanest energy (and) green energy is the way to go,” she said. “We have to always think outside the box and bring something that is positive to our communities.”
As for her ideas on how to bolster the city’s tourism, Bushenlonga said she would legalize prostitution and allow licensed brothels in Regina to generate more business tax revenue, tourism traffic and acceptance of sex work.
“This is the oldest profession in the world and can be taxed,” she said. “Why not in Regina?”
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Bushenlonga said she wants the job of mayor not for the power or money attached but to “see a better life for everyone” in the city. She’s pledged to donate her salary as mayor to the homeless, if elected.
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“I’m here for all communities, not just for the newcomers or the immigrants, but for all Regina people,” she said. “I get along with everyone (and) I’m for the people. I’m for the people, period.”
Bushenlonga is one of 11 candidates running for mayor, including incumbent Sandra Masters, Lori Bresciani, Bill Pratt, Kevin Kardash, Shawn Sparvier, Bevann Fox, Rod Williams, Bob Pearce, Chad Bachynski and Nathaniel Hewton.
Advance voting for the municipal election begins on Nov. 1, open until Nov. 4 at select locations. Regular polls will be open on Nov. 13. More information can be found at regina.ca.
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