Six Crossfield council and three mayoral candidates spoke in front of nearly 300 residents Oct. 4 ahead of the upcoming municipal election.
Jason Harvey, Brent Jurgens, Garry Richardson, James Ginter, current Councillor Jackie Jaquish and former mayor Jo Tennant are competing to fill four spots on council.
Each candidate fielded questions pulled at random by moderator Al Jones and had 60 seconds to answer. Topics ranged from a proposed new civic building, a new library, wetlands protection, business taxes, public transit and future planning.
Answers varied greatly when candidates were asked what is one thing they would change in Crossfield, if elected.
Tennant said council transparency is lacking.
“I’ve heard time and again that people feel like they’ve been left out of the loop, left out of the information and left out of the planning,” she said. “Transparency is the commitment that I bring.”
Jaquish called for an outsider’s opinion on Crossfield’s finances.
“I’m going to sit down with the council and figure out how to do a financial audit,” she said.
Ensuring people are in the role best suited for them is Jurgens’ goal. He said people’s strengths needed to be identified, “so council can play off each others’ roles and represent the people through a strong Town council.”
Tax planner Richardson is offering his expertise.
“I can be your financial watch dog,” he said, adding Town processes need to be open and honest.
Ginter’s top priority is to control Town spending.
“My number one thing is to make sure that our taxes don’t increase anymore,” said Ginter. “Right now, we’re higher than Airdrie and much higher than Calgary.”
Harvey’s goal is to improve communication for the Town.
“There are a lot of forums that council currently runs, such as coffee time at the local restaurants, but not enough residents know about them,” he said. “I think if (council) advertises better and markets ourselves better, we can do a better job communicating with (residents) and letting you know what’s going on.”
In the mayoral forum, candidates faced questions about business taxes, a new civic centre, in-camera meetings, youth programming and recycling.
Incumbent Phil McCracken asked voters to allow him to finish what he started and said his knowledge has greatly increased since beginning as mayor in 2007.
“I put in lots and lots of hours ... for the last three years,” he said. “Everybody here that knows me and knows that I’m not a quitter.”
Candidate Nathan Anderson called for an end of political red tape and the “quagmire of bureaucracy.”
“The private sector will come up with innovative solutions and we can work with this sector to ensure solutions fit within our town’s vision,” Anderson said. “The investors are our tax payers. They are the ones who will decide whether Crossfield lives or dies.”
Candidate Luc Rodrique said it’s important to ensure Crossfield manages its expansion responsibly, looking at all facets of growth.
“I believe in moderate, yet controlled growth,” said Rodrique.
“When we look at our town, we will not concentrate on just Main Street and the entrances, but we will rather look at the big picture and make sure that your tax dollars are spent wisely for the benefit of all residents.”
