While Rocky View County’s municipal election is still five months away, candidates have already begun to register in some divisions, allowing electoral races to start taking shape.
As electoral divisions will change for the upcoming election, Division 6 currently has two names on the candidate list – current Division 5 councillor Jerry Gautreau and newcomer Jeremy Stinson.
“I’ve lived in Rocky View County (RVC) since 2011,” Stinson said. “My wife was born and raised here.”
Originally hailing from Ontario, Stinson said he became more accustomed to the Alberta lifestyle when he got involved in several local organizations in southeast RVC, including the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the Chestermere Lions Club.
“I have always enjoyed raising money and helping out good causes,” he said. “With this election, I thought about how I could better serve my community and decided to run.”
Growing up in the Ottawa area, Stinson said he has always had close ties to politics and current events, adding his mother always joked he would eventually become a politician.
“I naturally gravitate to the politics of the area that I am in [so] I feel this is a good fit for me,” he said.
Stinson said having a mother who was a united church minister and a father who was a large animal veterinarian meant community service has been a part of his life for as long as he can remember.
He said he decided to run for RVC council because he wants voters in Division 6 to have multiple choices to consider for candidates.
“They also deserve someone that can commit their time to serving this area,” he said. “Rightly or wrongly, I have always felt this has been the forgotten corner of RVC. Chestermere and Langdon are both so big, the space in between kind of gets forgotten.”
The importance of council working together is an important notion Stinson wants to point out ahead of the upcoming election.
“From the outside looking in, council seems to have been fractured for some time,” he said. “I also feel the community should work more with neighbouring communities.”
As one of the first registered candidates, Stinson said he wants to make the most of his upcoming campaigning journey as he attempts to nab a seat in RVC council chambers.
He said a personal attribute that would lend itself well to being a councillor would be his communication skills.
“That seems to be a strong suit of mine,” he said. “Whatever group I am a part of, I try to become a voice for people.”
Other than Stinson and Gautreau, two other candidates were registered for the upcoming RVC election, as of press time. Mark Jette is listed as the current sole candidate for Division 5, while Roc Spence is currently listed as the only candidate for Division 4.
The municipal election is slated to take place Oct. 18. The Rocky View Weekly editorial team intends to interview and profile as many new and incumbent candidates as possible in the lead-up to voting day.
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
