A prominent fitness advocate in Airdrie is eyeing a City council position this October.
On July 15, local fitness instructor and business owner Jay Raymundo announced his candidacy for Airdrie’s upcoming municipal election, joining Mark Steffler, Reggie Lang and Lore Perez in the race for City council seats.
The owner of NRG Fitness Inc. said his motive for entering politics is the opportunity to “give back” to the community he and his family call home.
“We’ve watched the small town of Airdrie grow into almost a big city, but we love the small-town feel,” he said. “The city has supported my family – my kids grew up here and go to school here – and it’s supported my business. With the pandemic ending and the election coming up this year, I just thought it was a great opportunity to put my name in and give back to the community that has supported my family these last 14 years.”
Other than owning NRG Fitness, Raymundo is also a personal trainer for the City of Airdrie, a co-owner of the F45 Training facility in Airdrie and a strength and conditioning coach for the Airdrie Martial Arts Centre. He also wrote and self-published a book last year about how to keep fit during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A long-time advocate for healthy living and exercise, he said one of his platform points is to ensure Airdrie’s communities are walkable and bicycle-friendly.
“With all the new communities popping up, I want to make sure the City plans accordingly so there are pathways and bike trails so families can maintain that healthy active lifestyle, and that those pathways and trails lead to local amenities so we can support local businesses,” he said. “Airdrie has such an entrepreneurial spirit and I want to link the family [aspect] and the small business aspect.”
While he has worked in the fitness industry for more than a decade, Raymundo said he also has a background in finance, as well as a bachelor of commerce degree with a double major in marketing and small-business management. Prior to working in fitness, he said he worked for 10 years in the banking sector.
If elected to City council, Raymundo said his main priority would be to help improve Airdrie’s vibrancy while maintaining its small-town, family-friendly feel.
“At the same time, I understand that with growth and population increase, we have to plan accordingly to support the infrastructure, roads, traffic and pathways,” he said. “I know a big talk right now is revitalization of the downtown, and I’d love to see that come to fruition with more support for small businesses and local foot traffic.”
Raymundo said he feels his main selling point as he seeks a position on council is relatability to voters.
“I represent the families that live here and the small businesses that have struggled through the pandemic,” he said. “I feel I know and experienced the same struggles and concerns those families and small business owners have been going through.”
The municipal election is slated for Oct. 18. As of July 22, four candidates have filed their nomination paper to run for six council positions.
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
