Hopping on the PC nomination bandwagon isn’t a decision to be taken lightly — it’s a big job and for each of the candidates, it means big changes in their personal and professional lives.
It has been said before and will likely be said again: whoever replaces Ken Kowalski will have big shoes to fill. Not only that, but they will no doubt be faced with some of the same challenges that Kowalski spoke of time and time again — working long hours and spending extended periods away from family.
Town of Westlock Coun. David Truckey along with Westlock County councillors Maureen Kubinec and Bert Seatter and Barrhead’s Tim Schultz have announced their intentions to run.
For many of them, experience lies simply with municipal politics. Municipal politics and provincial politics both come with unique challenges, although at the provincial level, there is considerably more at stake with more people counting on the elected official to make the right decision.
These are the people that have to power to elect the desired individual, but before they cast their vote, they first need to be drawn to the ballot box. This might be the largest initial challenge faced by nominees, most of who currently reach a relatively narrow scope in the constituency.
Before any candidate can convince constituents to vote, they need to broaden their thinking to reflect provincial needs. Instead of focusing on issues like paving gravel roads, water line buy-in rates or rezoning applications, they need to start thinking bigger.
If the PC nominee is going to lead this constituency, they need to start focusing on issues like increased wait times in emergency rooms, decreased teaching positions in area schools or the cost of post-secondary education for our youth.
It also must be recognized that this position isn’t going to give one a platform to turn personal agendas into policy, so concerns about daylight savings time or 10-digit phone numbers must be laid to rest.
The nomination period opens officially on Jan. 3 and closes on Jan. 16, after which time candidates will have two weeks to campaign before the nomination goes to vote on Jan. 28.
