Westlock RCMP Staff-Sgt. Dwayne Rawson will compete with former councillor Allen Balay for Athabasca County council’s division 1 seat, which covers Rochester and Perryvale.
Balay comes to the election with two terms of council experience under his belt.
“I have got eight years,” he said. “I was previously a deputy reeve. I guess it’s knowing how to work with people more than anything and dealing with people in general.”
He said this year he was approached by multiple people, who suggested he try for a third term.
“I’m always interested and liked working on council so I thought well, I’ll give it another shot,” Balay said.
He said he plans to continue advocating for a water line running to Rochester and Perryvale, improved road quality and municipal planning.
“Some of the municipal plans seem to slow down municipal development where I’d like to speed up the processes,” he said. “some of the costs incurred w the developers and that have gotten to extremes in some areas, and see what we can do to help that out.”
Balay said he has lived in Athabasca County his entire life and currently works as a road salesman. In the past he was involved with farming, construction, real estate and was a founding member of the Rochester Agricultural Society.
“I’m dealing with people all the time and I love that,” he said.
Rawson, a newcomer to municipal politics, said that should he win, he will retire from the force where he has spent 27 years, because councillors are not allowed to be employed by the government while they serve.
“You cannot do both jobs,” he said. “It’s impossible. You won’t have the time for it. The best thing to do is if I’m successful, yes, I will be retiring.”
Although Rawson works in Westlock, he resides in Rochester.
“I grew up in rural Saskatchewan and I’ve lived in Athabasca County off and on since 1994,” he said. “Only gone for two years. It’s a great community.”
Rawson said the skills he gained as an officer will be an asset if he wins the election.
“It’s not different from what I do at work,” he said. “We police a very big community and have to listen to the concerns of everybody. Sit down and listen to them, but most importantly, get back to them.”
He said he is not running on a specific issue, but on a promise of clear communication and follow-ups with his constituents.
