A last-minute challenger has emerged for incumbent Coun. Al Schule in the race for Rocky View County’s (RVC) Division 7 seat.
Registering her candidacy for the upcoming municipal election just before the Sept. 20 deadline, Alysha Bates is looking to be Langdon’s next council representative.
For the last four and a half years, Bates has been the president of the Langdon and District Chamber of Commerce. She said she started to feel like she could do more for the residents of the hamlet.
“I want to be that strong voice for the community,” she said. “That has been the driving force.”
As a mother of two children and a 13-year resident of Langdon, she feels she has her finger on the pulse of what is important locally.
With new electoral divisions drawn up last year in RVC, Bates said the next term will be the first time Langdon will have its own dedicated councillor. She said it felt like the right time to finally run.
“Over the last few years, I feel like I was able to really work hand-in-hand with not only [current councillor Al Schule], but also with administration to get things going,” she said. “I was able to advocate on behalf of the community and not just Langdon, surrounding areas as well.”
Bates said a partnership between Bragg Creek’s Chamber of Commerce and the Balzac business community created a strong bond of how business-centric organizations can help each other to make RVC a place that everyone wants to do business, live, work, and play in.
According to Bates, what makes a good councillor is integrity, honesty, transparency, and open communication.
“You should also have a passion for others, not just yourself,” she said. “There should be no games in this. You are doing it for the community and the county, not yourself. That is a lot of the reason I do what I do, it’s not for me.”
She said she has no aspirations to go down in the history books. Rather, she’d like to see Langdon and RVC go down in the history books.
“If I’m a footnote, that’s fine, it’s not my driving factor,” she said.
With negative press unfortunately surrounding RVC council over the last four years due to in-fighting and legal battles, Bates said she wants to foster relationships, work together for a common goal, and strengthen RVC.
“We’re not always going to agree,” she said. “No one is always going to agree with each other, but being respectful and working together would be huge, moving forward.”
When it comes to Division 7, Bates looks at Langdon and tries to see what the future could bring. With the hamlet constantly growing, she said she wants to ensure it is able to sustain itself by having proper infrastructure in place.
While she has been working on her campaign, she is running against Schule, who has been a councillor in the area for years. In trying to unseat the council incumbent, she said she realizes there is a tough challenge ahead.
“Mr. Schule has been a huge asset to the community,” she said. “He is a long-time business owner and long-time resident of the community. Going against someone who has been there and done that is a scary spot, but I’d like to think that fresh blood isn’t a horrible thing – especially when you have a passion and a drive for the community.”
Bates said moving forward with her campaign, her message to share with Langdon voters in the next few weeks is that she wants to preserve the community’s past and build for the future.
“I hope I am going to be that strong voice that will speak for the residents,” she said.
For more information on Bates' platform, visit her Facebook page.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
