The president of Rock ’n August has declared his candidacy for a council seat.
Roger Bradley, 59, announced his intention to run last week.
“I’ve been wanting to do this all of my adult life,” he said in an interview with the Gazette Tuesday. He said his wife jokes he’s been talking about such a move since they first met.
“Now I’m at a point in my life where I can start doing more,” he said.
Bradley is an active local volunteer, who has been an executive director and coach of St. Albert Softball, a hardball coach, a Scouts leader, has volunteered with Special Olympics, Kids with Cancer Society, is part of the St. Albert Cosmopolitan Club and chair of the Cosmopolitan Foundation Canada and of course, Rock ’n August. Many of his efforts listed above and more have come about through his work with the St. Albert Cosmopolitan Club or his job as vice president of business operations at Chrysalis, a society for citizens with disabilities. At Chrysalis Bradley oversees the operations of the manufacturing organization whose profits support the not-for-profit side of things.
“It’s the council’s job to create governance policies,” Bradley said, adding that those policies are to guide administration. His job at Chrysalis involves working with a governance board, he said, so he understands the process. That experience, and his volunteer work, have honed his skills that he’d like to use for council.
“I don’t want to be a politician but I’m happy to be an elected official to help keep St. Albert the best community in Canada,” Bradley said.
So far, the main “hot button” topic he’s heard about from voters is the issue of property taxes. He said while he doesn’t want to see taxes going up, he doesn’t want to see services chopped, either. Instead, he thinks there’s an opportunity to grow the industrial sector, which he’d like to see eventually make up 20 per cent of St. Albert’s tax base.
He thinks the city has a wonderful park system that will be expanded into new communities, and wants to see even more residents involved in their community.
“There’s never enough,” he said.
If elected, he has thoughts along championing some environmental and social issues. He said we can always do more for local not-for-profits. Council can help promote economic development by working with businesses, he said, and helping ensure they have a level playing field in the region.
Bradley is married with three children and five grandchildren. He’s lived in St. Albert since 1956.
