Bragg Creek business owner Brent Moore hopes his entrepreneurial spirit and outgoing nature will land him a spot on Rocky View County (RVC) council next month.
Moore, who owns a retail storefront in Bragg Creek, said his decision to run for the County’s Division 1 seat in the Oct. 18 municipal election was motivated by his love for the Bragg Creek community, as well as a desire to help improve the dysfunctional “culture” he currently sees on council.
“I have quite a bit of business and governance experience,” Moore said. “I really like living out in Bragg Creek, I really like Rocky View County, and I think I can redeploy my past experiences into being a really good representative for the folks in Division 1. I don't think it's an easy job, but I like a challenge and think I could be effective.”
As of press time, Moore’s sole opponent in the race for the Division 1 seat is current Division 3 councillor Kevin Hanson. The newly drawn Division 1 includes the southwest-most corner of RVC, including Bragg Creek and Elbow Valley.
While he grew up in a rural community outside of Grande Prairie, Moore has lived in Bragg Creek since 2007, and was living in southwest Calgary for a number of years before then. He said he expects the biggest election issue in Division 1 this fall to centre around safety.
“Fire protection, secondary access, egress – those are key issues out in Bragg Creek,” he said, adding signage is another topic he’s heard residents grumble about in the past.
According to his campaign website – brentd1.com – Moore’s platform focuses on fiduciary duty, debt and equity, and consensus-building.
Regarding consensus-building, Moore said he thinks there needs to be an overhaul of the County’s culture, given the bickering and legal issues that plagued council’s progress and overshadowed their achievements over the last four years.
“There has been quite a bit of challenges in that regard,” he said. “I certainly am a big proponent of corporate culture and understand the value of what things can happen when that's working well.
"I'm very interested in being able to improve culture and give back to a group of people working together to execute a plan for all residents.”
According to Moore, his experience as an entrepreneur and business owner would suit him well if elected. Before opening his current storefront, Moore’s website stated he opened a restaurant with his friend – a venture that include long hours and hard work.
“Certainly, with entrepreneurship, you're trying to do the most with the least, or with the resources you have available,” he said. “I think throughout that experience, consensus-building is something I have a lot of familiarity with. Those are the types of things you're going to have to prioritize and focus on.”
When asked for his stance on RVC’s position on the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board, Moore said he shares the opinion of the current council and staff – that the County needs to maintain its autonomy as much as possible when it comes to its development goals and plans.
“I am of the view that RVC needs to preserve its latitude, in terms of developing and balancing commercial tax rates and residential tax rates to maintain the RVC advantage,” he said. “I don't want to go too into real hard specifics, but it does appear there is a need to have a major overhaul with the [current] arrangement.”
The municipal election is set for Oct. 18. As of press time, 16 candidates were registered to run for RVC council, including eight of nine incumbent councillors.
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
