LETHBRIDGE, ALTA. -- Stephen Mogdan has served the community in a variety of roles over the past 20 years, since he moved to Lethbridge, and said he is now looking forward to serving in a new role.
Mogdan is the first to step forward as a candidate for mayor in the October municipal election.
He is the past chair of the Downtown Lethbridge Business Revitalization Zone, a past member of the Canadian Home Builders Association's governmental relations committee, and a director with the Lethbridge John Howard Society. In 2017, Mogdan was named the chair of the Board of Directors of the YMCA of Lethbridge.
“I wear a lot of hats,” he said during a news conference on the steps of city hall. “They each provide me with different insights and motivations.”
Mogdan said as a lawyer he helps everyday people with business and personal legal problems. “So I understand when people have issues they’re facing, and that they need to be heard and have solutions presented to them.”
As a husband and father he feels opportunities, and community safety are important, and as a business owner he is able to understand the pressures that business owners face.
“I work every day in the downtown so I know firsthand the issues we encounter in the heart of our city. But I also know how great our downtown is and can be,” said Mogdan.
Mogdan said he is also a fan of one of the NFL's most perpetually hapless franchises, the Cincinnati Bengals, “so that means it’s important for me to find hope and light in the midst of darkness.”
Mogdan said he recognizes the challenges facing council, especially during a global pandemic, but is committed to leading the city through the difficulties so it can become stronger and better positioned to move forward.
“Our leadership needs to be steady and sensible,” he added. “We need to focus on how we can best improve the lives of the most Lethbridge residents while still doing that in a cost effective fashion.”
Mogdan said one of the biggest challenges the city faces is the perception around safety and social issues that get a lot of news coverage and attention in social media.
“That’s something we can improve.”
