Chestermere Mayor Marshall Chalmers has announced he will not be seeking re-election in the municipal election this fall, following what he called a proud four-year term and a lifetime of public service.
According to Chalmers, the decision came as a result of some family discussions and self-reflection, which led him to deciding on a new path forward.
“I can sincerely advise that it was a difficult decision, but I also recognize that I needed to make the decision now one way or the other to allow the community and my colleagues the opportunity to really think about what their future holds,” Chalmers said. “It also allows me personally to consider my future again, whether it's in the public or private sector.”
Chalmers said he has spent the majority of his life in public service, beginning his career as a constable in Camrose, Alta. in 1976. He spent a total of 31 years on the police force, including nine years as Chief of Police, five years as president of the Alberta Association of Chiefs of Police, and two years as director to the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police.
After his retirement from policing in 2007, Chalmers transitioned to municipal politics. He held the mayorship in Camrose from 2010 to 2013 before he and his wife moved to Chestermere, where he successfuly ran for mayor in 2017.
“I’m not at the stage where I want to retire – I'm not built that way,” he said.
He said that when he became Chestermere’s mayor in 2017, it was alongside a team of brand-new councillors. He said residents were “quite frankly angry” with the state of municipal governance at the time. In those early days, he said the job was rife with difficulties, but he and his team rose to the challenge.
“When I look back and think about all the work that we’ve done, it’s pretty impressive actually. We set a whole new vision for the community – we call it the ‘Amazing Vision’,” said Chalmers, adding that vision included reduced taxes and utility costs, introduction of city transit, recreational facilities, diverse housing options, commercial projects and new senior living facilities.
“We’ve been building positive relationships with developers, and speaking of developers, Chestermere, second only to Airdrie, is the fastest-growing community in Alberta, and third-fastest growing community in Canada,” he said. “And that comes with a lot of hard work.”
He said some of the new City council’s other highlights included enhanced safety initiatives for Lake Chestermere, which Chalmers called “the jewel” of the community. He added their term has also included some new legislation involving inclusion and diversity, an anti-bullying bylaw and economic incentive policy.
“There’s been a lot of work going on and I’ve been really proud to be part of it and part of leading it,” he said. “I’m extremely confident that we’ve met the challenges that faced us initially. We’ve set the ship sailing into calmer waters from where we were and there’s a real solid foundation to move forward now.
“We’ve really come a long way and I’m confident the next mayor will have a real foundation to move forward and continue to drive us towards being amazing.”
