Dancing Bob running again for mayor but not as a ‘politician’

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Bob Pearce — better known as Dancing Bob — says he’s done a significant amount of self-reflecting in the past year and he’s ready to try again for the mayor’s chair.

“I’m not really calling myself a politician,” he said in a recent interview on his return to the mayoral race in this year’s municipal election.

Pearce last ran in 2020, emerging unsuccessful with the smallest shake of votes among the nine candidates in that race. Concerns over transparency in city government inspired him to throw his hat back in the ring in 2024.

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“I want to find out why we’re doing what we’re doing in city hall,” he said. “To me, you have to have a reason for doing what you’re doing and if you don’t, you should resign.”

When Pearce ran for mayor four years ago, it was on a platform of combating the fear of COVID-19 and what he still calls “questionable” mandates and mask policies.

He’s still concerned about health, promising this time around to “provide the best food, clothing and shelter for everyone.” He would also make sure every person has free and “clean” drinking water, which he believes is water without added fluoride or chlorine.

Pearce said “there shouldn’t be a price on water” and disagrees with city council’s 2021 approval of a community fluoridation program to be launched once upgrades at the Buffalo Pound Water Treatment Plant are finished. The program was endorsed by more than 90 public health organizations and scientific experts.

“The voice of the people said four times, the last time in 1985, no fluoride in the water,” he said, referencing four referendums held by the city, starting in 1954. “It should have went to the people to be voted on again. It shouldn’t have been something that they could literally shove down our throat.”

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Pearce also thinks the city can be more efficient and spend less when it comes to fixing infrastructure. He graduated from post-secondary school in 1982 with an engineering degree, which is where he gets his philosophy for city planning.

“A lot of things are being done over and over again, rather than being done one time,” he said. “That’s our motto, as engineers, to be thorough and do it right one time.”

But most people probably know Pearce better, not for his views on civic politics, but for his dancing. He regularly pops up around the city to do just that (sometimes wearing only shorts if the weather allows) with no inhibition and usually to the tunes of Def Leppard.

Pearce himself doesn’t have a phone or social media but he’s become something of a local celebrity. Videos of him dancing often get posted and shared online.

“With the dancing, the image of Dancing Bob, that’s all fine, but what it’s become is people wanting to take pictures of me and I’ve become an idol,” he said. “I don’t want to be an idol. I want to represent something more than that.”

That said, he doesn’t plan to quit dancing if he is elected on Nov. 13.

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“Even as mayor, I’ll still go dance in Wascana and if people have a question, come up and ask me,” he said.

“It’s about making people smile and I want to make people smile here,” he added, gesturing to Regina City Hall towering behind him.

Pearce is one of 11 candidates running for mayor this year. Sandra Masters is seeking re-election, as Pearce, Lori Bresciani, Bill Pratt, Kevin Kardash, Shawn Sparvier, Bevann Fox, Rod Williams, Melina Bushenlonga, Chad Bachynski and Nathaniel Hewton look to unseat her.

Advance voting for the municipal election began Friday, open until Nov. 4 at select locations. Election Day is on Nov. 13 and regular polls will be open from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.

lkurz@postmedia.com

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