Chestermere has a new mayor and four new councillors, following the completion of the Oct. 18 municipal election.
Longtime resident and father of three Jeff Colvin defeated former councillor Michelle Young by a count of 2,927 to 1,734 to capture the mayor’s seat in the lakeside community, according to unofficial results released by the City of Chestermere.
Incumbent councillors Mel Foat and Ritesh Narayan were re-elected, alongside newcomers Shannon Dean, Blaine Funk, Stephen Hanley, and Sandy Johal-Watt.
“We’re very pleased with the results,” said Colvin, who has lived in Chestermere for than 20 years. “It did show that it was quite decisive, which was nice. And it also spoke to the fact that Chestermere residents are interested in change from what we’ve had in the last few councils.”
Chestermere's civic election was highly contested this year, with 16 candidates putting their names in contention for either council or mayor.
The results of the vote will push both Narayan and Foat into a second term, following their initial wins in 2017.
According to the mayor-elect, his main campaign points included increased overall transparency, lowering taxes, not allowing the Lakeside Golf Club to be redeveloped, and eliminating the troubled Chestermere Utilities Inc. (CUI).
“The biggest thing that we’re trying to do, is change our direction financially,” Colvin said.
He added the City has a “tremendous” amount of debt and the current framework doesn’t allow for that to be recovered in a sufficient time period. The plan to recoup those funds is to raise the commercial tax base, which currently sits at approximately five per cent, according to Colvin.
Another contribution to Chestermere's debt, Colvin claimed, is the tendency of previous councils to overspend. He said he plans to address this issue by re-assessing budgets for upcoming projects that were approved, such as the Civic Recreation Centre, as well as ensuring that allocated funds are used appropriately.
“We’re not a fan of debt, not a fan of debt-spending,” he said.
The next four years will be filled with plenty of new experiences for both Colvin and Chestermere's new City council. He said he is looking forward to the progress that the group can work toward as a whole.
“It’s really nice that two of the councillors that were incumbents got in. So, they do have that level of experience and expertise,” Colvin said. “What’s particularly exciting about [the four new councillors] is the fact that they have a lot of senior level business experience and we’re very encouraged with that.”
Ultimately, Colvin said the goal is to improve the trajectory of the municipality as a whole, and continue to make the lakeside city the best place it can be.
“Chestermere is a great city,” he said. “And we wouldn’t ever think of going to a different place.”
