Gerry St. Pierre is hoping to make a comeback to Barrhead Town Council – as Mayor.
A councillor between 1998 and 2004, St. Pierre disclosed last Monday that he was throwing his hat into the mayoral ring.
“I think the time is right for me to do this,” the 60-year-old former Barrhead &District Co-op manager said.
So far he is the only known potential candidate for the position, which will be vacated by Brian Schulz after the October election.
St. Pierre’s decision comes a month after he helped Barrhead and Westlock host the 55-Plus Summer Games.
As chair of the Games committee, St. Pierre played a pivotal organizing role for an event which has been hailed a huge success.
However, St. Pierre hopes the public will support him irrespective of the Games.
He believes his experience at Barrhead Co-op, his two terms as councillor under Mayors Sid Gurevitch and Brian Schulz and his period as president of the Chamber of Commerce would stand him in good stead as Mayor.
“I believe in practical commonsense and coming up with practical solutions,” he said.
One of his highlights as councillor was being involved in infrastructure upgrades such as a multi-functional arena that serves surrounding communities.
St. Pierre was brought up on a farm in Domremy, Saskatchewan.
It is a hamlet with a recorded population of just 124 in 2006.
He came to Barrhead 27 years ago.
As Co-op manager he says he helped turn it into a thriving organization.
Like current Mayor Brian Schulz – who headed a car dealership – St. Pierre considers there are similarities between running the Town and a business.
In both capacities, prudent fiscal management is a must. So is an ability to marshall people into an effective team, maintain a sense of humour during times of stress and help achieve a consensus.
On Oct. 19, 1998, St. Pierre was one of three newcomers to council, the others being Brian Schulz and Edith Yuill.
He came in third with 972 votes, behind Chris Benesch and Mayor Sid Gurevitch.
St. Pierre, then Co-op general manager, campaigned as a “proven leader.” At the time he was chairman of the local Community Lottery Board and a member of the Rotary Club and Knights of Columbus. In 1993, he was chairman of the Alberta Summer Games held in Barrhead. He was also a past president of the Chamber of Commerce, chair of the Economic Development Board in Barrhead and Smoky River.
In 2001, St. Pierre ran for council again, promoting himself as someone who makes “practical, informed decisions”.
In a Leader forum, he supported amalgamation of Town and County, saying it should be a long-term goal of the community.
Voters seemed impressed with St. Pierre’s work over the past three years, giving him the honour of top vote getter. He won 1,149 votes, 177 more than he got in 1998.
In retirement, St. Pierre did not forego an active lifestyle. He has done a lot of travelling and is a regular sight at Barrhead’s championship golf course – a past-time he does not intend to give up should he become Mayor. St. Pierre also likes to help out on a farm. With harvest season under way, there have been plenty of opportunities recently.
It is no surprise to hear St. Pierre does not intend being an office-bound Mayor, should he claim the job in October. His energies, however, will still be focused on making Barrhead the best possible place to live – ensuring roads, water and sewer systems are working properly and the town remains beautiful.
“I just want to do what is right for the community,” he said.
