Wednesday, July 26, 2023 Vol. 46, No. 30
Your LOCAL Paper! Buttner steps down as Councillor in hopes of securing Viking Mayoral position in upcoming by-election Patricia Harcourt Editor
Viking’s Deputy Mayor Jamie Buttner has declared his intention to run for mayor in the town’s September 11 by-election. To do that, Buttner had to resign his position as a councillor on Viking Council. He did that as of 2 p.m. on Monday, July 24, according to Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) Doug Lefsrud. Anyone wishing to run for the mayor’s job has to quit as a councillor 18 days prior to the closing date for nominations, which is set for noon on Monday, August 14. “I’ve resigned from council to run for the mayor’s position,” Buttner confirmed on Tuesday, citing his reason as, “the mayor’s got to be elected” as a separate entity. “We’ve got some good momentum going,” he said, speaking of council and its new direction since the resignation of Laura Yakiwchuk as mayor a couple of months ago. Buttner said he “got picked to be the one,” to run by the rest of council. But he added that he was indeed taking a chance. “Fingers crossed,” he said, because he won’t have a council seat either if he loses the mayoral race. “It’s kind of a gamble, honestly,” he said, joking that “I could be sitting on the porch wiping my tears,” if he doesn’t win. Now a council position will also be included in the by-election along with that of mayor, and Buttner sees it as a way to get both positions filled on the same by-election date. “I think it’s good for the town,” he said, by saving money and time. And he spoke of council’s future plans wanting to rotate the mayor’s position among the councillors. More research needs to be done on the feasibility of that idea, he said. But he sees the idea of electing the mayor from within council as another Continued on Page 8
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Two Holes-in-One in Irma this summer Gwyneth Gulbraa
On the afternoon of June 1, Jagger Firkus and Reid MacKay decided to go golfing at the Irma Golf Course and were enjoying their time together. At about 3 p.m. they reached Hole Nine. Jagger says, “It didn’t look real when I saw the ball drop. Then Reid and I ran up to the green and didn’t see the ball, so we looked in the cup and there it was!” Jagger said it was good he was with a buddy so everyone knew it really happened. Approximately a month later on a warm, hazy Sunday evening, July 9, Tyler Anquist and five friends were golfing at the Irma Golf Course. They were on Hole Three when Tyler’s ball disappeared into the hole. They rushed to the green in disbelief. Riley Gulbraa, witness, says, “It was such a cool experience watching the ball drop into the hole. We were all so excited for Tyler!” The six boys were thrilled. Tyler’s mom said, “Smiles all around.”
Tyler Anquist holds the ball and stands at the ninth hole where he got his hole in one at the Irma Golf Course.
Jagger Firkus’ glove and ball after achieving a hole in one on the Irma Golf Course. GWYNETH GULBRAA PHOTOS