Saskatoon election: Meet mayoral candidate Cynthia Block [Video]

The job isn’t finished for Cynthia Block.

The farm girl that grew up just south of the city was surrounded by politics as a child. Her father was the reeve of the local rural municipality and helped cultivate Block’s interest in public policy.

Even after spending the past eight years on city council representing Ward 6, she has greater ambitions for rapidly growing and changing Saskatoon.

“I feel an obligation to run. I want our city to move forward, not backward. I think the mayor’s office needs to be very focused on homelessness, community safety and affordability,” Block said. “But I also want to make sure that we’re a city that doesn’t fall behind.”

Block is the only current member of city council running for mayor, and her fellow candidates have been critical of her political past, labelling her as someone representing an old regime in need of change.

During a debate last week hosted by the …