The owner of Rocco's Pizza wants to be on Steinbach city council. Damian Penner says he would like to serve in municipal politics because it's at the grassroots level that is most closely connected to the voters themselves.

"Civic politics, to me, that's the cog in the wheel that's moving everything in terms of every person's day-to-day living. Things can get passed on higher levels of government but it doesn't affect you, necessarily, immediately on the ground level. So it's something where I think I have a great management experience, running a tight ship financially in the restaurant industry, it doesn't get much tighter than that, and being able to really work at lowering the tax burdens of each individual citizen."

Penner says one issue that is near and dear to his heart is the need for affordable housing.

"There are so many people out there, I have a family member right now, they don't know if they're ever going to be able to afford live on their own. And, that just breaks my heart that there are people out there who are working full-time jobs, aren't squandering money, and they still don't know if they'll ever be able to afford to live on their own without roommates. How can you, in a generational city that's so great like Steinbach, say to our youngest generation, you know what, it's not welcoming and hospitable anymore."

Penner adds another issue is the need for more entertainment options.

"People are crying for entertainment. It doesn't have to be a huge, expensive multiplex. It's absolutely something that's on the radar that needs to move forward. It's kind of been in a stall for quite a long time now."

Penner says he would also work on reducing the role of government in people's lives and maintaining or reducing taxes. He adds it is also increasingly important for city councillors to engage in social media discussions that arise on various city issues, something he would commit to doing.