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 for their ideas on 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.
Crouse's challenger, political rookie Shelley Biermanski, made her most convincing argument in her opening statement, saying her 25 years in the grocery business 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 had lost the ability — or wasn'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 affects 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 in the hope of attracting environmentally-focused businesses.
Candidates share new ideas
A number of candidates took the opportunity to outline new ideas at Tuesday's event, just six days before the Oct. 18 vote.
Wes Brodhead suggested that 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 that, 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.
"We cannot be all things to all people," he said. "We have to base it on needs, not wants."
Aisling Pollard-Kientzel pitched an idea to engage youth by forming a youth advisory board.
An animated moment came when incumbent Coun. James Burrows focused on snow removal as evidence that St. Albert residents receive more services for their higher 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.
The crowd reacted with calls of "ooh" and "uh-oh."
"That's an edge that we've always had in our city and that's something I'm very much proud of," Burrows persisted.
Brodhead got earnest applause by poking holes at an idea being floated 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.
For a full rundown of the forum, check out the Gazette's live blog replay here.
