A police officer, two business owners and a county employee are just some of the many people who are in the running for two vacant seats on Legal town council this winter.
Eight people put their names on the line last Tuesday to run in Legal’s 2012 council by-election. There are two vacant seats on town council, and two of these candidates will fill them. None have run for public office before.
In no particular order, the candidates are: Yvonne Bilodeau (Cyr), Carol Tremblay, Kurtis Hauptman, Curtis Epp, Florence Lamb, Shealene Page, Ron Sharma and Joey Seitz.
Bilodeau, 40, has lived all of her 40 years in the Legal region and currently works for Sturgeon County’s planning and development department. She served as Legal’s recreation co-ordinator from 2006 to 2010, helped start the Legal Youth Committee, and once served as president of the town’s minor league softball association. She also volunteers at the FĂŞte au Village celebration.
“I’ve noticed a bit of a decline in the economic value of our community,” she says, when asked why she decided to run, “and I’d like to see it prosper more.”
Legal has lost its pharmacy, confectionary and one of its banks over the last 20 years and isn’t seeing a lot of businesses coming in to replace them, she said.
If elected, she says she will work with local real estate agents to better market the town as a place to invest.
“Legal hasn’t really been involved in any promotion of itself besides the murals,” she said.
Her background in government and her upcoming degree in land use planning from the University of Alberta would also help her understand local government, she said.
Tremblay, 38, is a long-time town resident and publisher of the Legal-lerie newsletter. She owns Cybernetic Innovations – a local printing company – and spearheaded the creation of the local craft and trade fair.
Tremblay cited her six years on the executive of the Legal & District Chamber of Commerce as proof of her experience.
“I’ve proven that I can be someone (people) can depend on,” she said.
She also gathered sponsors and volunteers at last year’s FĂŞte au Village and organized the event’s beer garden.
Tremblay says her top priority if elected would be to promote growth and make Legal less of a bedroom community – a strategy that means doing more to attract doctors and other medical personnel.
“I’m in that middle age where I have a young family and I have to look at my retirement as well as the growth of my child,” she says, so she also hopes to start more programs in town to help young families and seniors.
Hauptman grew up in Legal and says he recently came back to raise his family. Now the 28-year-old Edmonton police constable says he wants to help build a better community for his kids.
Hauptman says he has experience working with government officials and social workers in high crime areas of Edmonton, and volunteer experience with the Knights of Columbus.
“I want to assist everyone to get to a place where we can continue to enjoy living in a town that’s free from crime,” he says.
His top priority, however, would be to work with Alberta Health Services to relieve pressure on the town’s volunteer emergency medical personnel.
Epp, 28, says one of his key issues as a candidate is the state of the town’s roads.
“They’re starting to cave in certain spots,” and the big trucks on them shake nearby homes, said the lifelong Legal resident.
“What can we do to solve these issues?”
Epp says he hopes to get a better look at the town’s budget to find out what grants, if any, are available to fix these roads. He also plans to call for stricter enforcement of the town’s pet and leash bylaws to address the problem of pet feces in yards.
Although he has little political or volunteer experience, Epp says he would bring new ideas to council if elected.
“I’m young, I have fresh ideas and I like listening to people’s concerns,” he said.
Lamb, 65, says she would bring age and maturity to council if elected.
“We have a lot of younger (people) on there, and the seniors don’t seem to be represented very much,” she said.
Lamb, who volunteers for the town’s Club 60 Roses seniors’ group and the Parent Link centre, pitched herself as an honest, hard-working candidate with decades of experience in business and administration.
“I think there needs to be a mature influence on council,” she said.
Page, 26, says she would use her communications background to help put Legal on the map if she were elected.
“There’s a lot I could add to council,” she says, and she has plenty of volunteer experience with local hockey teams, churches, schools, and seniors’ homes.
Like other candidates, she cited support of the town’s volunteer emergency medical personnel as one of her top priorities.
Sharma, who owns Legal Super Mart, says there are plenty of improvements he’d like to make to Legal if elected.
“We need a library in our town,” he noted, as well as a doctor, pharmacy and a full-time day care.
“For the kids, there’s nothing here,” he said.
The three-year town resident said he knew of a local building and donors that could be brought together to create a library, and had ideas to start up a movie night for kids.
“I want to see Legal growing.”
Seitz, a 49-year-old salesman and former volunteer firefighter, says he will try to attract more businesses to town if elected.
“You’ve got to have growth here for people to stay,” he said.
He was short on specifics on how to get that growth, however, saying that he’d have to get on council before he knew what was possible.
Voting day is Dec. 3. Call returning officer Wilma Weiss at 780-961-3773 for details.
