The number of candidates running in the 2017 election for the Town of Athabasca is unprecedented, according to a former mayor.
Lionel Cherniwchan said in his 22 years serving on town council, he does not remember there ever being four candidates for mayor and 12 for council.
“I think a lot of people saw what happened last time, that there was no one running, so certain councillors won by a matter of default,” he said. “This time people put their names forward and said at least people have a choice.”
Cherniwchan was the driving force behind initiating the municipal inspection report, which was publically revealed last month. He added the report “was the icing on the cake,” but most people had already made up their minds to run.
Here is a look at your mayoral candidates for the 2017 municipal election in the Town of Athabasca.
Laurie Bonell said she is running for mayor to be an advocate for the town.
“You’re advocating for the town,” she said. “It’s to encourage or help business growth, it’s to draw people in. It’s all about progress and moving forward.”
Bonell is currently president of the Athabasca District Chamber of Commerce and owner of The Photo Shoppe. Previously she worked as supervisor at the Government of Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training System in Fort McMurray between 2011 and 2015.
Bonell has not served in municipal office before, but said she has “vast experience” through her involvement as apprenticeship supervisor, business owner, hair stylist and as chamber of commerce president.
As for a platform, Bonell said the one thing she would not be doing is saying she will “run in and change the world.” She said she would walk in with “openness, honesty, integrity and active listening”.
She added she does not have platform ideas on specific issues in town.
Bonell said the municipal inspection report would be a “learning tool” for the new council, if she were to be elected mayor.
“Taking that investigation report and working on what was felt needed to be improved on, or to be worked on or addressed,” she said. “I don’t want the report to just be shelved, because there’s a lot of important information in there that’s going to help the new council coming up.”
Roger Morrill is currently mayor of the town, and is finishing up his second term as mayor. In an email response he said residents should vote for him because of his experience, network of contacts in different levels of government, and his desire and commitment to “see this community grow and prosper into the future.”
Morrill said his key platform points include seeing through the completion of the school, swimming pool and fitness centre, construction of the new bridge, along with a continued effort at increasing co-operation with neighbouring municipalities.
“Some of my many other desires for our town include strategic infrastructure development to allow and encourage development and growth, improved maintenance of all infrastructure and encouragement of natural fitting business development for sustainable economic growth within our area,” he wrote in an email response. “It is also my passion to maintain the town’s strong financial position while balancing the needs for future growth.”
The municipal inspection report stated a common theme was a call for “improved council leadership and willingness to work together for the overall good of the community.”
“I will emphasize from the beginning that we are here to set aside personal agendas and work as a collaborative team for the betterment of the community, myself included,” he wrote.
Colleen Powell is set to come out of retirement from municipal politics to serve one more term as mayor, if elected.
Powell brings five terms of experience on town council, sitting as mayor for one of term. She has been a resident of Athabasca for 25 years and is retired from working with the Athabasca University Faculty Association.
“There’s a lot of work to do, it’s a very complicated world,” she said in an interview. “It’s like any other occupation or business. It looks a lot simpler on the outside then when you get in and start drilling in. Having some background certainly helps.”
Powell said the new council needs to create an atmosphere of respect and civility, first by creating a new code of ethics, and also getting to know other council members by spending time together after council having small chat.
“Even people whose ideas you really don’t like suddenly become people,” she said. “You attack issues not people. It’s really easy to say, really hard to do.”
Her platform also includes ensuring councillors have training, creating a citizen committee to review council remuneration, being present at community events, and following the “road map” council has been given – the municipal inspection report.
She also said if elected mayor she would work at keeping downtown the centre of the community, protecting heritage buildings and working with Athabasca University at selling the community to prospective employees.
Robert Woito is running on a platform of dissolving the town in order to amalgamate with Athabasca County.
“It would be better if everybody would agree, sit down and agree to amalgamating both,” he said. “The reality is, it didn’t work in the past so this time we will just dissolve the town then the county would have no choice but to accept.”
According to the Municipal Government Act, before a municipality can be dissolved, the Minister must undertake a viability review and then hold a vote of the electorate on the proposed dissolution.
Woito said he wants the two municipalities to amalgamate because “Albertans in general believe in less government,” and because the town and county already work on major projects together. He added the municipality should be more responsible with taxpayer money.
Woito said he “did not even bother reading” the municipal inspection report, that “it’s an embarrassment.” He said if he became mayor, council would have to sit down and go through the recommendations as a team and “see what can be done and what can’t be done.”
Woito has not held public office before, but was previously president of the Athabasca Recreational Trails Association.
Woito works as a power engineer in Fort McMurray, and works seven-day on, seven-day off shifts. He said he would be able to put in more commitment than Morrill can currently due to his schedule, and he would dedicate his seven days off to town business.
