WESTLOCK – Elected in October, Village of Clyde mayor Charis Logan has spent the past months learning the ins and outs of municipal politics.
And in a year-end interview, Logan, who is joined at the council table by new councillors Starla Stydia, Pat Hamaluk, Donna Moore and recently-acclaimed Philip Petkau, shared what she had learned as well as her plans for 2022.
“I’ve learned a lot. It’s been a steep learning curve from the beginning, just getting into municipal politics and how things work and run, but I’ve found it fascinating and interesting,” said Logan. “I’ve loved every minute of it.”
Thankfully the village has not faced any major issues since the municipal election, save a byelection being called after Jerry Austin resigned in October, which has allowed Logan a smooth entry into politics with the help of village CAO Ron Cust. Cust has acted as a mentor for all of council, which consists entirely of new members and has helped them learn the ropes.
Highlighting a few minor changes of the past couple months, including slashing semi-truck parking rates in half and reviewing the snow removal bylaw, Logan has learned a lot about what happens behind the scenes.
“I enjoy learning more about our community and how things are run and how things are done behind the scenes and the history as well as where things have been set to go in the future. I’m really glad to be a part of it,” Logan explained. “You have some ideas about how it works, but when you really get into the nitty gritty and realize where every dollar comes and goes, that was really interesting to me.”
Looking forward to the new year, Logan is making plans to enhance the sense of community in Clyde. While the ongoing pandemic has made it difficult to host events, Logan hopes to find unique and creative ways to bring residents together, all while staying safe.
“We really want to find ways that we can bring us back together, no matter what’s going on. We want the community to feel like a community family,” she concluded.
