UPDATED: Crouse to seek third term

Nolan Crouse will seek a third consecutive term as mayor.

Crouse announced his decision Thursday morning in an e-mail blast to supporters that he will run in this fall’s municipal election.

“I love what I’m doing. I really love what I’m doing,” Crouse said. “I have lots of energy and there’s nothing about my physical, mental or spiritual health that suggests I shouldn’t run.

“I feel community support. Time will tell if that turns into voters, but I feel the community.”

Crouse, 59, was first elected to council as a councillor in 2004. He successfully campaigned for mayor in 2007 and again in 2010, handily winning both elections.

Crouse said he has several issues he plans to explore during the upcoming campaign, but said he won’t discuss them in detail until the mayor’s race starts to heat up later this fall.

“I really want to make sure I don’t unduly influence this council’s agenda,” Crouse said.

Two upcoming and significant capital projects will require some discussion during the campaign, Crouse said – the community support centre that would house several non-profit groups, and the proposed Campbell Park Transit Station and Park and Ride. The tab for the community support centre has been pegged at $17 million to $25 million, while the city will likely be responsible for one-third of the estimated $37-million park and ride cost.

“I think they need to become a couple of key campaign issues and people need to weigh in on them,” Crouse said. “They have such a significant impact on how you finance them, whether you finance them, what the partners are.”

Economic development, which the mayor pushed in this last term, will also be a focus of his campaign. Now that St. Albert has its employment lands designated for industrial development west of the city and is seeing development such as the Costco now under construction in the north, it will need a steady hand to help guide it through what could be a “taxing” growth phase.

“I think people might not understand this, but the development potential is so great that it might be taxing for the city.”

On social issues, Crouse said he wants to push the implementation of the recently passed social master plan, specifically with a view towards reducing crime, which has been trending downwards in St. Albert since 2009.

“I’m looking forward to seeing a very aggressive social disorder campaign to continue to drive that down,” Crouse said.

The environmental master plan will also be up for renewal and the council of the day will have to consult heavily with the community on what its environmental priorities are. He cited the ongoing issue of the poor health of the Sturgeon River as an example.

“How far do we take the issue of the river? What really happens to the river? We have to look at that from a watershed point of view. We might have to get more aggressive with (building) grit separators.”

On property taxes, which are a popular topic in any St. Albert election, Crouse said he believes he has done a good job of holding property taxes to three per cent or less in this last term. He said the city’s spending is tight – it just needs more revenue from the non-residential sector.

“I’ve listened to the community, I’ve kept tight on taxes, I’ve kept tight on spending and I don’t erode services and I feel pretty good that I’ve done that.”

He said he hasn’t heard if there is anyone who might challenge him for the mayor’s chair. In 2010 he defeated challenger Shelley Biermanski by more than 5,000 votes.

Candidates must file their nomination papers Sept. 23. Election day in St. Albert is Oct. 21.