As the municipal election campaign in Rocky View County (RVC) begins to heat up, current Division 9 councillor Crystal Kissel is aiming for a second term as an RVC councillor.
“The decision was a hard one,” Kissel said. “There has been many ups and downs over the last four years, but the one reason I have chosen to run again is because of the support from the residents that I have received.”
Kissel will be aiming to secure the seat for the newly formed Division 3, which covers a large chunk of western RVC including Bearspaw and Cochrane Lake. As of press time, Kissel is running against candidate Jolene Airth.
While there are a number of incumbent candidates vying for re-election, Kissel was the first of the three previously sanctioned councillors to announce their desire to run again. The sanctions were imposed on three councillors – Kissel, Couns. Kevin Hanson and Samanntha Wright – after they were accused of breaching council’s Code of Conduct in 2019 for submitting a letter to the editor to the Rocky View Weekly that the rest of council deemed used discourteous and disrespectful language. The letter claimed the County’s process for hiring former Chief Administrative Officer Al Hoggan was “flawed.”
The sanctions were in effect for 13 months and required the three councillors to publicly apologize, restricted their ability to travel on behalf of and represent RVC, removed them from all council committees and bodies, decreased their remuneration by 30 per cent and limited their contact with County staff. The sanctions were eventually set aside by the courts in July of 2020.
Kissel said the sanctions added another layer in her decision to run again. She said the decision to stay the course was a costly one due to the fact the councillors had a third of their pay taken away.
Even with all of the drama that has plagued Kissel and the rest of council over the last four years, she still believes there is a lot of good that can be done.
“I am very pleased with the outreach of the residents in my area,” she said. “One thing I have done is always support my residents. That is who elected me. I have never forgotten why I got there. We are servants.”
Speaking to the ups and downs involved in the last four years, Kissel said she felt there were many occasions where the thoughts and feelings of the residents in RVC were not heard. On contentious items, there is almost always a 6-3 vote split within council, with Kissel, Hanson and Wright usually voting as the minority.
Kissel said when it comes to controversial council items that affect residents in RVC, it is always tough, especially if a particular decision goes against the view of most residents.
In particular, she referred to a proposed gravel pit that was approved by council earlier this year that backs on to Big Hill Springs Provincial Park.
“I really wish that wouldn’t have gone that way,” she said. “But I don’t have any say in that now. I wish the Province would have stepped up, because it is a provincial park.”
As a near-constant voice of opposition within council, Kissel said she notices it is much easier to be on the majority side of votes.
“I have always listened to the residents,” she said. “When I am asking the hard questions and when I am supporting a position, it’s not my position, it’s the position of the residents. I take my lead from them totally, and I won’t change that going into this next election.”
The biggest issue facing the County, according to Kissel, is stormwater management, as it affects RVC on a daily basis.
“That is something that we have been looking into and working on, but it has to come to the top and be a priority for the next council,” she said.
The municipal election is slated for Oct. 18. Currently, 13 residents are registered as candidates, including seven incumbents.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
