The most popular alderman in the last municipal election will not be running this fall.
In 2007, Shawn Howard received 1,849 votes, 161 votes more than the next in line Marlene Weaver. After two terms on council, Howard recently announced that he will step down as alderman to pursue other interests.
“It is not something I took lightly and I had to ask myself if I could make another three year commitment,” said Howard.
“I looked at my personal life and some things I wanted to do. I wasn’t sure if I could give the 110 per cent I’ve been giving and I didn’t think that was fair to the voters. I have driven myself pretty hard for a long time and I wanted to step back and enjoy myself.”
He said he will continue to be part of the community and looks forward to building a new home in Airdrie with his fiancé.
However, he said he is going to miss being in the middle of the decision making process.
“I was one of the seven votes that can help set the direction of the community,” he said.
“As part of the Finance Committee for five years, I dealt with so many different issues and got a strong sense of what is going on in the community.”
Howard said his six years on council have been an amazing learning experience.
“I’ve had so many unique experiences and I have learned so much,” he said. “Working on council has been extremely humbling. I’ve taken every vote I’ve made seriously. People place trust in me as a alderman to make the right decision.”
Howard said one of the people he has an immense amount of respect and admiration for is Preston Manning and his saying, “This isn’t my seat, it’s your seat,” rings true.
“It’s not about you as a person, it’s about the trust that has been given to you.”
Howard said the most vital lesson he learned is the importance of municipal governments.
“They are the ones that touch your lives everyday,” he said. “Garbage pick up, police, fire services, water, recreation, these are all run by the municipal government. Local governments are most connected to how you live your life on a day-to-day basis. In my view, that’s the level people should be most passionate about.”
When Howard thinks back on his two terms, his most fond memories are when the community came together to make a difference.
“The moments where the community rallied and filled up council chambers to speak out on issues, those are the moments that show there is pride in the community,” he said. “That is one of the things that makes Airdrie unique and I hope we never lose it. We are one of the fastest growing cities in North America and as we grow, there is still that community pride.”
Howard recently stepped down as communications consultant for the Wild Rose Alliance Party and plans to go back to private consulting.
“There are a number of doors that are opening for me,” he said. “A lot of people don’t know this but I was one of those people who had a significant position in a oil company and when the market went down, I lost my job. On a personal level, I need to rebuild financially.”
Howard said he hopes there are a few fiscal conservatives on the new council elected in the fall to deal with next year’s tough budget.
“One thing I’ve always appreciated is the long-term vision,” he said. “I hope the new council understands the bigger impact and doesn’t just put on rose coloured glasses and assume everything is going to be OK. It is important to ask questions.”
Howard is well known for flying solo in many votes.
“I am proud of the way I vote,” he said. “I campaigned on certain issues and hopefully people think I’ve stuck to them.”
Howard said he also hopes the new council does a good job of marketing Airdrie.
“There are a lot of things the City does really well and I think we need to be proud of them,” he said, listing the low cost of City operations and being a trailblazer on environmental issues as some of Airdrie’s endearing traits.
“The City needs to be out there talking about what is going on. Leadership starts in the community and works its way up to council. Coming out of the gloom and doom situation, we need to come out of the gates strong and start getting more businesses looking at locating in Airdrie.”
