WESTLOCK - Randy Wold, the third-highest vote getter in the 2017 municipal election, will seek a second term on Westlock town council, a “cohesive” group he says still has work left to accomplish.
The 61 year old, who filed his nomination papers Monday, June 14, pointed to the municipality's improved financial situation over the past half decade, as well as the $10 million in federal, provincial and municipal funds that’s being spent rehabbing 108th Street and completing the west industrial stormwater project this summer as just some of the more-recent highlights he wants to build upon.
Wold and Curtis Snell are the only council incumbents so far to announce their intention to run and join first-time hopefuls Abby Keyes and Jon Kramer on the ballot. Nominations for the Oct. 18 municipal election opened Jan. 1 and close Sept. 20.
“I’ve enjoyed the work and we have a good cohesive group and hopefully we can all get in and continue what we’ve done. I’ve had lots of good feedback from people asking if I’m running and I want to do it for one more term,” said Wold, who’s a full-time councillor after retiring from heading the finance department at Westlock Motors in January 2018.
“I mean the things we’ve done aren’t sexy. We’re working underground, we’re working on stormwater issues … infrastructure. We’re not building fancy gazebos or shiny things. We’re getting our town back in shape, infrastructure wise and financially. We’ve gone through a really tough year and a half due to COVID and it’s been very stressful on everyone. But I think we’re finally seeing light at the end of the tunnel.”
As the only rookie elected to town council in 2017, Wold has taken a steady, measured approach. He said he’s especially proud of the work he’s done as council’s representative on the ag society, tractor museum and Westlock Terminals.
“I’ve enjoyed the committee work and it's really opened my eyes to what these groups do and what they mean for the community. It’s been good.”
Wold also paid homage to mayor Ralph Leriger, who announced his intention to seek a third term earlier this month. Wold and Snell have both said Leriger’s candidacy factored heavily in their decisions to run again.
“Having Ralph as mayor has been amazing. He’s so forward looking and thinking and he keeps us all going. It’s been enjoyable working with him at the helm and that’s another big reason why I’m running again. He has a vision for the town,” Wold continued.
“I’ve seen a lot of progress in how council and administration get along … we trust each other. And that’s part of the teamwork approach that Ralph preaches.”
Finally, Wold said they’ll miss outgoing councillors John Shoemaker and Clem Fagnan, who both won’t be running this fall. Their unique skill sets, life and work experience and perspectives led to good discussion and sound decisions, he said.
“John, as an accountant, has done financial audits on municipalities so he knows what it’s all about. And Clem is just a wealth of knowledge. I don’t think there’s an area in town he hasn’t worked on or knows how it was built. And he’s such a huge community supporter,” said Wold.
“What I really liked about the group is that most of the time we agree, but when we didn’t there was no bitterness. It’s majority rules and everyone supports the decision. And I think that’s been extremely important.”
