Council candidate Brian Robinson has lived in Medicine Hat his entire life, spending much of that time in a service role, and feels he is ready to bring that knowledge and experience to city hall.--Submitted Photo
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Council hopeful Brian Robinson is looking to take a hands-on approach to municipal politics.
With 37 years with the Rotary Club of Medicine Hat and a lifelong Hatter, Robinson has a passion for the city, which he feels makes striving to become a councillor a logical next step.
“It’s been something that’s kind of always been on my mind,” said Robinson. “I’ve always had a pretty good involvement in the city, like we did with the Saamis Rotary Park or we do the E-waste Roundup but I’d like to see if I can do better, or do more.”
He feels a longstanding good relationship with the city through these projects with the parks and other initiatives is something that would translate well to a term on council. He says any time there has been something he could do for Medicine Hat or the people who live there, he’s been eager to put in the work, something he thinks would be a boon for the city.
He brings with him a co-operative spirit, experience in keeping an eye on finances to ensure budgets are balanced and improving on costs and the knowledge that even small contributions can have a large impact.
Robinson’s biggest priority, by far, is encouraging growth within the city.
“I want to see us grow. I mean there’s a lot of initiatives, there’s a lot of potential that could be coming to town. I want to be able to grab onto some things and see some proportionate growth,” said Robinson. “Other cities and other centres in Alberta are seeing growth, and we may not be seeing it as well as others. I want to change that.”
He would like to see the city tighten its purse strings on operational costs as well, to lower the overall expenses and “make things a little easier on everybody,” said Robinson.
In addition to the financial base, Robinson has his sights on public safety in the city. As someone who has spent extensive time within the city lending a helping hand, he remains hopeful of a solution to help those experiencing homelessness that is compassionate without coming at a cost to other residents.
“We do a lot of work downtown, so we do see people on the street. I would really like to see some more respect and see something better than what’s happening now,” said Robinson. “Hopefully we can help out with the agencies that help them and find a solution that makes all citizens happy and helps them, too.”
If elected, Robinson aims to be as informed of as much as he can before making decisions, and draw on his life within the city to best reflect the needs of Medicine Hat. He is looking forward to what he hopes will be working with a co-operative council for a productive term.
Knowing the last-minute spirit of the city, Robinson has focused his campaign on the final few weeks before the Oct. 20 election, but residents can expect to see him out and about in the days to come, addressing concerns and better connecting with his fellow Hatters.
“Lifelong Hatter, and I never wanted to live anywhere else,” said Robinson. “I bring myself, I bring my life experience and what knowledge I’ve gained, and that’s how I’m going to guide my decisions.”
