A polite but responsive crowd saved its most enthusiastic approval for the waning moments of a political forum at the St. Albert Inn Tuesday evening.
Candidates drew various levels of applause with their ideas about issues like controlling spending, attracting business, limiting residential property taxes, plans for affordable housing and attracting family doctors.
But it was Mayor Nolan Crouse who got the loudest ovation from the 300-plus crowd by making a tearful admission that he isn't perfect but has always worked tirelessly and done his best to represent St. Albert residents and business owners.
"What's most important is you represent your community. I believe I've done everything I could to represent this community and I want three more years. Please accept that," he said, to thunderous hoots and cheers of approval.
The forum was organized by the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce and the audience was populated at least in part by supporters of the various candidates.
Crouse's challenger, political rookie Shelley Biermanski, made her most convincing argument in her opening statement, saying her 25 years in the grocery industry combined with experience in the car business has prepared her for the new world of politics.
As she's done before, Biermanski continued to hint that her opponent has lost the ability or isn't willing to listen to the people.
"I want to be the people's mayor," Biermanski said. "It's important to me to represent the people's choices."
This is particularly important in decisions that affect people's neighbourhoods, she said.
Until his impassioned closing statement, Crouse focused mainly on his record and vision for the future. He identified economic development as the fundamental component that's required to make the city fiscally sustainable in the future.
"I will exhaust myself in the pursuit of commercial and light industrial development," he said.
Biermanski said she wants to create a green theme for St. Albert business in the hope of attracting environmentally focused companies.
Candidates share new ideas
A number of candidates outlined new ideas at Tuesday's event, just six days before the Oct. 18 vote.
Wes Brodhead suggested St. Albert needs a winter festival.
Cathy Heron pledged to create a new standing committee on economic development. Laden with the brightest minds in St. Albert, the new body would explore growth opportunities for St. Albert business and identify obstacles, Heron said.
Norm Harley continued to carve out his niche as the most vocal advocate for budgetary restraint. He said, if elected, he will press council to give the city manager no more than 18 months to get the budget to 2008 levels of about $90 million.
"I know how and when to say no," he said. "We cannot be all things to all people."
Aisling Pollard-Kientzel pitched an idea to engage youth by forming a youth advisory board. St. Albert had an award-winning youth council for 10 years up until 2006, when the city pulled funding for a full-time co-ordinator to focus on more seniors' programs.
Crowd reaction
A wave of vocal discontent wafted from the crowd when incumbent Coun. James Burrows focused on snow removal as evidence that St. Albert residents receive more services for their higher property taxes.
"That's why our taxes are somewhat higher because we do get our streets plowed out at least twice a winter by policy," Burrows said, as calls of "ooh" and "uh-oh" sprang from the crowd.
"That's an edge that we've always had in our city and that's something I'm very much proud of," Burrows persisted.
Burrows later highlighted the need for a light industrial park in the north along Villeneuve Road.
"That's where I really think our economic salvation can be," he said, adding that restrictive guidelines in place for South Riel and North Campbell need to be relaxed for a new industrial park.
"We have to change those guidelines a little bit to allow different kinds of businesses like warehousing, light industrial, petroleum and things of that nature," he said.
Brodhead got earnest applause by attacking the idea that zero-based budgeting or limiting tax increases to a fixed amount is needed to get St. Albert's city spending in line.
"Folks, I need to tell you, I've worked with municipal budgets for 32 years. A system in and of itself does not provide a windfall opportunity," he said. "It is the decisions made by council on budget expenditures that will raise your tax rate or lower it."
Fellow council challenger Cam MacKay challenged Brodhead's thinking.
"You need councillors that are committed to fiscal restraint and you need a system that can actually find efficiencies in government and we don't have that right now," said MacKay, who has a commerce degree and experience running a small business in St. Albert.
"Zero-based budgeting is a way where we tie the costs of departments to the services that they actually deliver," he said.
Other ideas
Incumbent Gareth Jones highlighted the platform he ran on three years ago, which focused on taxes, economic growth, seniors, youth and affordable housing.
"I believe my record speaks for itself," he said.
Roger Lemieux stressed the need for economic development and keeping taxes in line. Len Bracko continued to advocate for immediate planning for a future LRT line within St. Albert and lining up early for grant dollars from the province and feds.
"St. Albert will never be able to afford this upgrade to our infrastructure on our own," he said.
Challenger Malcolm Parker continued to push for economic development to ease the tax burden on residents.
"My platform will address these challenges by changing the culture so fiscal restraint is the norm by establishing a business plan based on affordability," he said.
James Van Damme said his top priorities would be to find new revenue streams for the city and attract more business by targeting the top 100 CEOs, "and telling them why they must do business in St. Albert."
Robyn Morrison, who at 24 is the youngest candidate, said she has three generations of her family living in St. Albert and can connect with people both young and old.
"We need some new voices on city council, councillors that will engage with residents of all generations," she said.
Stanley Haroun renewed his call to hold tax increases to inflation for the next three years. The city also needs a measurable plan for economic development and needs to zone industrial land and smaller lots for smaller houses, he said.
