While it’s too soon to tell what kind of leanings St. Albert’s new city council might have, Mayor Nolan Crouse likes what he sees in the new group residents elected on Monday.
“My sense is we’ve got a very high commitment,” Crouse said. “That’s the very first thing that crossed my mind is strong work ethic.”
Council will be sworn in at an organizational meeting on Monday and the new councillors will undergo training over the next two weeks. The budget will be tabled Nov. 8, with the real work to begin Nov. 15, Crouse said.
“I have a stack here on budget stuff that is two-feet deep and I’ve got to get through it,” Crouse said.
The budget will be council’s first real test and it’s a big challenge, Crouse said.
Beyond that, council has to sift through each member’s individual priorities and decide on a list of collective council priorities.
For Crouse, the first objective is to improve communication between the city and residents.
“We somehow as a corporation and as a community are not getting information back and forth to each other,” he said. “We have to find a way to communicate, two-way with the community in a far-greater way.”
Councillor-elect Malcolm Parker is aiming to push for economic development. But whatever council decides are its priorities, he advocates for fewer of them rather than many.
“We have a better chance of succeeding [if we have five priorities] than if we say we’re going to do 15 things and try and do them all and then we end up doing bits and pieces of it,” he said.
Roger Lemieux said council will have to somehow navigate the expectations of residents who are content and those who want change.
“We got some politicking to do,” he said.
Cam MacKay knows there will be a steep learning curve for new councillors like himself.
“I’m an entrepreneur and I’m used to, except at my own home, getting my own way,” he said. “I’m going to have to learn how to work within the group and get some things that I want accomplished in addition to what other people want to get accomplished.”
Newly elected councillor Cathy Heron noted that there was never any animosity between any of the successful candidates during the election events they attended.
“I think everybody on council’s got a lot of brains and a lot of levelheadedness. I think those things are going to make us work well together,” she said.
Len Bracko thought it was important that council members bring a diverse mix of experience and ages. He expects everyone to bring different perspectives that result in sound decision-making.
“If everyone thought the same, some people aren’t thinking,” he said.
Wes Brodhead also likes the diversity on council because it should lead to healthy debate.
“Strong debate is good because it drives out good ideas so I think the diversity of the council will certainly be in St. Albert’s best interest,” he said.
Lynda Flannery of the St. Albert Taxpayers’ Association said she needs to see council in action before making a judgement.
“We’re going to continue our role as monitoring council decisions and providing feedback to them. We’ll also be monitoring elected candidates with respect to their campaign promises and we’ll be holding them accountable to that,” she said.
Mike Howes of the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce also said it’s too early to judge the council.
The chamber will continue to push for the zoning of 700 acres of commercial and industrial land zoned in the annexed area, he said.
“We’re certainly looking forward to working with them all,” Howes said.
