As the fall municipal election nears, Town of St. Paul councilors are considering whether or not they will run as candidates in the upcoming election, while also thinking about their priorities for another possible term.
This year, there will be an election to fill six councilor positions. “We’ll know there are going to be two new councilors for sure,” says CAO Ron Boisvert. The election will take place on Oct. 21.
Coun. Pat Gratton is retiring this year, and Gary Ward, a former councillor, became the recreation director last July, leaving an empty seat on council. Since Ward’s decision to leave council was within 18 months of a municipal election that, a by-election was not held.
“I enjoyed working on and with the town council and have been fortunate enough to be involved with town business for 30 years,” says Gratton. “I thank the public for all their support, that’s for sure. Now I think it’s time I stepped aside and let a younger generation take over.”
This year, Mayor Glenn Andersen plans on letting his name stand as a nominee.
“I gave it some thought because it will be a four-year term this time,” says Andersen, referring to the change made by the Government of Alberta in 2012. Prior to the change, municipal officials had three-year terms.
“It’s going to be a bigger commitment than the previous three-year term I served, but definitely, I will be letting my name stand.”
If he keeps his seat as mayor, Andersen wants to focus on pushing for completion of the Wellness Centre.
“I'd like to finalize the Family Care Clinic (program), because we were recently accepted. Another thing I’d like to work on is finishing the walking trail, because it was put on hold by Sustainable Resources,” explains Andersen.
He adds, “In addition to the Wellness Center and walking trail, we need to get some of our infrastructure up to par. Roads, water, sewer, those are some of the things we can do better on.”
For anyone looking to run for mayor or councilor, Andersen recommends potential candidates get informed on what’s expected of them as municipal officials by checking out an online document with Municipal Affairs called, ‘Now That You’ve Been Elected.’
“I advise anyone interested in running in municipal politics to go through that, to know what to expect. It gives you a good idea of what happens, what your roles and responsibilities are,” says Andersen.
Coun. Danny White says his decision to run for another term is still “up in the air.” White explains that he needs time to consider his options, pointing again to the four-year term change.
Coun. Ken Kwiatkowski confirmed that he is running for another term.
“It's been two terms already,” says Kwiatkowski, “I’m going to put my name in again and see what happens.”
If elected, Kwiatkowski plans to work on matters pertaining to the labour camps outside of town.
“There are a few things going on with the pipeline coming into town that I’d like to work on,” says Kwiatkowski. “For example, I'd like to see more housing. I’d like to have the town get underway with developing housing, and to find a way to work with the labourers here, to help them out.”
He adds, “I want to have the Family Care Clinic open by the end of the year, it’s important to get a good handle on that. We’re supposed to have a better idea of how things are going this fall, so I’m hoping to have that in place before another election. It’s been a long time in the works, and it’s good to see it finally coming together.”
Coun. Don Padlesky admits he’s unsure as to whether or not he’ll run for another term on town council.
“I’m still in the process of thinking things through on the matter,” says Padlesky.
Coun. Norm Noel says he plans on running for another term.
“I just want to keep on track with the health system, and to keep on track with growth. Generally, I want to see the town prosper, continue to be a wonderful place for everybody.” He adds, “I want to work on making sure our taxes stay reasonable, and that we get the most bang for our buck as citizens.” Noel adds, “I’m running on my morals. I was born and raised here, I don't want to see a boom or bust kind of town. I want to encourage growth at a steady moderate rate, to support necessities like education and healthcare, and to make sure seniors are looked after with proper housing.”
The deadline for nominations for the fall election is Sept. 23, and the advanced polls will take place on Oct. 2. Election day is Oct. 21.
