Coun. Greg Boehlke is in for the long haul as he seeks another term on Rocky View County (RVC) council.
As a veteran voice and notable figure in RVC politics, Boehlke’s constituents would likely not be surprised at the Division 6 councillor’s decision to announce he is seeking another term as the representative for the newly formed Division 5, which features Balzac, Kathyrn and the northeast corner of the county, including areas surrounding Beiseker, Irricana and Crossfield.
With 17 years of experience on council, including five as the County’s reeve, he said he still has a fire for the job.
“When the bottom line of your job is to help people and make the community a better place, I can’t think of a more rewarding thing to do,” Boehlke said.
“There are [bad] days, as with any job, [but] they are very few and far between. I also don’t take my job home with me.”
While council has enjoyed some successful initiatives over the last four years, Boehlke also won’t deny the group has seen some turmoil in the process. Sanctioned councillors, a chief administrative officer (CAO) stepping down, heated discussions, code of conduct violations and court battles are among the controversies council has dealt with since the 2017 election.
But despite the drama, Boehlke claimed council has still made plenty of right decisions on behalf of the County.
“For the most part, council has done a good job at keeping RVC on a steady [track] during pretty heavy times,” he said.
The Division 6 incumbent said there are a lot of things he is proud of over the last four years. Big chain corporations like Lowe’s have chosen to set up warehouse facilities in RVC, which the former reeve said could bring in 1,500 jobs locally and help add to the County’s tax base.
A new municipal development plan and Land Use Bylaw were other recent accomplishments Boehlke noted, when looking back over the last four years.
“Seeing the confidence in RVC from the development sector and from people who want to live in our community, I think that is also an accomplishment for council to be proud of,” he said.
While he said there are always issues that emerge within his division, Boehlke said he is always available to the public to help when problems arise.
“If people want to access [me], I have never hidden my phone number and have no problem calling people back,” he said. “I know the issues and want to help. I have the experience.”
In terms of issues facing the County moving forward, Boehlke said it is important to have strong leadership at the council table when it comes to dealing with the Calgary Metropolitan Region Board (CMRB). Boehlke has been vocal about his disapproval of the CMRB’s recent Regional Growth Plan, which was approved earlier this year despite opposition from the board’s three rural representatives – RVC, Foothills County and Wheatland County.
“We have to work really hard with our neighbours to get some accountability with that board,” Boehlke said. “This is not a balanced and fair board to work with. It’s pretty darn tough to work with a group of municipalities that don’t want to see us succeed.”
While there is still business left to be done before the election, set to take place Oct. 18, Boehlke said he is looking forward to another political campaign. As of press time, Boehlke is running against Mark Jette for the Division 5 seat.
“I look forward to doing this again, if the vote goes my way,” he said. “If the public chooses to go another way, there won’t be a bunch of crybaby stuff going on, I’ll understand. This is a democracy, and I can appreciate that.”
Jordan Stricker, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @Jay_Strickz
