A new name has emerged in the race to be a Westlock town councillor.
Curtis Snell, 48, announced his intention to run for town council on Aug. 23, explaining the time had come to take the plunge.
“I have an interest in the community and civic politics,” he said, adding the idea of running had crossed his mind at least once in the 20 years he’s lived in Westlock.
Snell had considered running for council in the 2010 election, but ultimately decided against it because his kids were still in high school and he was heavily involved in such community ventures as the Thunderbirds football team and the Westlock Lacrosse Association.
Now, with several of those commitments either over or soon to be over, he said he now has the time to devote to a councillor’s duties.
Snell has experience working with town administration and town council already, as he is the current chair of the municipal planning commission, and a former member of the subdivision appeal board.
“Some of those experiences are going to help me in the future as far as council duties go,” he said.
There is no single issue that has prompted Snell to run for council. Instead, he wants to help keep the town moving more or less in its current direction.
Previous councils have been moving certain initiatives forward, he said, and now he wants to help give some other initiatives some time in the limelight.
As a relatively young council candidate, Snell said he hopes to bring a slightly different perspective to the job, a perspective that can be contrasted to the older current councillors and younger candidates like 32-year-old William Norton.
“Everybody can bring their skill set to the table, whether they’re young or old,” he said.
In his professional life, Snell has developed a background in civil and environmental education, as well as considerable management experience running local, provincial and national programs through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
“It’s good to have a good mix of people on council, whether it’s different education or different professional backgrounds,” he said.
