Army veteran Ed Skelding will be running for mayor in this fall’s municipal election because he would like to see change.
“I’ve lived here for years and I’ve seen things go wrong and things go right,” said the 58-year-old who has lived in Airdrie with his wife since 1991.
“Right now, the wrong is outweighing what is working and I would like to see Linda Bruce move on.”
Skelding said Airdrie is a pleasant community with “darn good people” and he is glad he raised his daughter here, but areas such as infrastructure and snow removal need some work.
“I think we should bring it to the people and ask them if they would pay more for proper snow removal,” he said.
“We’ve got to be realistic and we have to wake up. Snow removal affects people’s lives.”
Skelding will campaign on a platform of restructuring Airdrie’s property taxes.
“When people’s property value goes down, their property taxes should not go up,” he said.
“I’m not saying it has to go down, but increasing it is ridiculous. There is something wrong here.”
Skelding is also concerned about “the community’s graffiti problem.”
“I support the youth curfew and I think it is a good idea,” he said.
“We have a youth problem. It is only a few bad apples but we need to do something about it.”
Skelding recently retired from the army after 40 years of service and he said being a mayor requires some of the same traits as a soldier.
“Honesty, integrity and loyalty,” he said.
“Being an honest person, integrity is about knowing right from wrong and loyalty to your country, your province and especially your city.”
He said he has a common sense approach to issues and that he will take the time to talk to residents and see what is important to them.
“I have some time on my hands and I want to create change that will help the people of Airdrie,” said Skelding.
He said, if elected, he would also change the pay scale of the mayor.
“I don’t think we should be paying someone $70,000 per year, we are not Calgary or Toronto,” he said.
“I don’t require $70,000 to be mayor, I just want to do my civic duty.”
He said he would like to see more Airdrie residents do the same.
“I would like to see more people get involved in politics, it is their city too,” he said.
“People are too lazy, but if you don’t get active in the government, you have no right to complain about it.”
Skelding commends all of the mayoral and aldermanic candidates that have come forward so far.
“They seem to have a clear vision and they all seem very dedicated to the community,” he said.
Although he admitted the job of mayor will include a steep learning curve, he said he acquired the ability to stay on his toes, while serving his country.
“I had to learn fast in the army,” he said. “You look at the people on your team and get guidance from them. Don’t be a bully and really listen because they might have better ideas than you.”
