Another incumbent candidate has registered to run for re-election in Airdrie’s upcoming municipal vote.
Following in the footsteps of Couns. Ron Chapman and Darrell Belyk in recent weeks, Tina Petrow has announced her candidacy for the upcoming election on Oct. 18.
Petrow said her reason for running for a second term is her passion for the position, as well as a desire to follow through on some of the City’s ongoing projects.
“The overarching thing is that I love this job,” she said. “I love the people here and am very proud to be able to represent this community, both within the municipality and when I go outside of the municipality. I really like to brag about our residents everywhere I go.”
A resident of Airdrie since 2012, Petrow was first elected in 2017, and was one of just two newcomers to Airdrie City council that year alongside Al Jones. Outside of her council duties, Petrow has a background in business management, event management and mediations.
Since joining council four years ago, Petrow said she has enjoyed figuring out the ins and outs of how the City of Airdrie operates.
“I think one of the things I learned is how the City works and how important it is that people are civically engaged and they know how their City runs, because that makes it easier to understand some of the things that happen around the community,” she said.
In terms of City projects she would like to see through if re-elected, Petrow highlighted Airdrie’s new library development on Main Street and the need for a recreational facility on the west side of town.
According to Petrow, she also has some health-related initiatives she would like to see to completion.
“I actually chair a province-wide board on mental health,” she said. “There have been a lot of initiatives and strategies we've been working on in hopes to present them to the provincial government. Things like that are very important to me.”
Petrow said her platform differs slightly from other candidates in that she doesn’t want to focus on individual issues while out on the campaign trail. Instead, she said her focus is making sure Airdrie continues to grow in a sustainable manner.
“...Our city is such a complicated, multi-faceted being, with so many moving parts, but they're all intertwined,” she said. “You really can't focus on one or two [issues] because you could fail at other ones if you're not paying attention.
“I have a vision of a well-balanced, sustainable community with a healthy industrial-to-residential balance and a thriving cultural atmosphere,” she added. “I think all those things are important to work on simultaneously.”
As a current member of council, Petrow sits on the Airdrie Library Board, the Emergency Advisory Committee, the Inter-City Forum on social planning, the Municipal Planning Advisory Board and the Community Services Advisory Board as vice-chair.
She also serves as a member of the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association’s (AUMA) Peer Network for Municipal Dispute Resolution and the AUMA’s sustainability and environment committee.
For more on Petrow's campaign, she encourages voters to check out tinapetrow.com or follow her on social media.
“My campaign slogan is, ‘your proven investment,’” Petrow said. “I think over these last four years, I've proven I work hard for this community. I show up to everything, I put in the effort and I take on every extra responsibility I can to make sure I'm always doing the best work for this community.
“I think I've shown I've been accessible, approachable and accountable to the residents here. At the end of the day, I really do believe I'm your proven investment. Residents have invested four years into me and I'd really like to just make sure they're getting the best return on their investment.”
As of Aug. 30, there are 13 candidates registered for Airdrie's municipal election.
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
