Council candidate Brock Hale says he has been frustrated with how city operations and decisions are being handled at city hall, and believes he has the knowhow to create a more cohesive environment.--Submitted Photo
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Living up to the philosophy of not complaining without working to fix it, Brock Hale is running for Medicine Hat city council.
Born and raised here in the Hat, Hale has been active in the community for as long as he can recall. From sports to churches and non-profits, he has been involved in multiple sectors, recently feeling himself drawn to municipal politics.
“I was becoming more and more frustrated with some of the dealings at city hall, and I wanted to try to be part of the solutions a little bit more,” said Hale. “I don’t like being frustrated by things without being willing to do something about it, and so I wanted to do something about it and put my name forward and see if I can help in this city.”
Hale considers himself someone who is able to work with anyone, something that feeds nicely into his foremost priority for the City of Medicine Hat: restoring unity and cohesion to city council.
“I don’t think anything will get done or at least it becomes much more difficult for productive action to take place from city council or at city hall, when people aren’t getting along and when people aren’t working together cohesively as a team,” said Hale. He hopes his ability to work with people, be it with council, administration, staff or even residents, will help to bring back a sense of teamwork and efficiency back to the municipality.
With that cohesion in place, he would then look to the cyclical nature of growth, as he believes housing and business growth go hand in hand.
Without affordable, attractive housing, said Hale, the city cannot expect to see new businesses moving in, and without places for residents to work and spend their time, there will be nobody looking to move in. As far as housing goes, he would like to see all manner of housing coming in by reducing some of the developmental red tape, so that whether someone is seeking a single-family home, an apartment, or anything in between, there are reasonably-priced options.
“My third focus certainly is the finances, which is related to taxes and how we spend our money,” said Hale. “We need to look at things like whether a South Side Aquatic Center is a good idea, and especially, we need to look at the money side of it.”
Hale doesn’t claim to be an expert in every field related to being a councillor, but he does claim to have a strong love for learning, which he feels would serve him well in his potential time on council. If he doesn’t know the answer, says Hale, he is eager to find it.
“Learning and growing as a teacher, that’s one thing I love to do,” said Hale. “As a city councillor it would be the same; right now, I may not be an expert in energy dealings for example, but I would be excited to learn about it.”
If elected, Hale would apply this and his social nature for the good of the city, making himself open to meeting and speaking with residents to best understand what they need from their municipal government.
“One of my strengths is that I really do like talking to people. I like hearing their stories, I like hearing their frustrations. We may not always agree, and there may be more to it that makes it something with no clean cut answer, but the willingness to talk to people and the willingness to be open and work through situations and explain feelings on it, I would consider very important. That and just the excitement, energy and passion that I have for this city.”
As the Oct. 20 election date comes ever close, residents can expect to see Hale at meet and greet events, the forums being put on by the Medicine Hat & District Chamber of Commerce, as well as handing out flyers and door-knocking, as he believes the most important thing is for voters to be well informed on who they’re voting for.
“I just want people to get to know who I am. If they don’t know who I am and what I stand for, it will be hard to vote for me. And I don’t want them to vote for me if they don’t know who I am,” said Hale, encouraging residents to get involved and make the best decision for their community.
“I know I’ve met a lot of the other candidates already, and I’m excited for them,” said Hale. “So whether that’s me or someone else that gets in, I think we have a lot of great candidates, and I think we can move our city forward positively.”
