News photo Collin Gallant - Lorraine Dalla Longa, the organizer of municipal election forum held at the Cypress Centre on Thursday night discusses questions with moderator Rick Porter prior to the event.
cgallant@medicinehatnews.com@CollinGallant
The first municipal election forum on Thursday was meant as a getting-to-know-you exercise, and they also packed three big questions into two hours with about half a huge field of council hopefuls and five mayoral candidates.
The in-person event at the Cypress Pavilion was also broadcast online to 1,100 viewers and was sponsored by the Medicine Hat Retirement Villa.
Rick Porter moderated the event, which saw candidates race through a round of two-minute intros, then provide one-minute responses on COVID response, economic development and the safe consumption site controversy.
“These are big topics for one minute,” remarked council candidate Cassi Hider.
The night began with a moment of silence for city councillor Jim Turner, who died this week just as the official four-week campaign began.
Incumbent mayoral candidate Ted Clugston evoked Turner’s memory in his introduction, saying both men would be worried about voters “changing course with a left-leaning council.”
“I’ve made tough judgments, but I trust you will judge on 14 years of decision making, not just the one you didn’t like,” said Clugston, who seeks a third-term against four challengers.
Speaking first, Linnsie Clark called the Hat a “unique, trailblazing community.”
“We need to recognize that,” she said. “We have an opportunity to change our future in this election.”
Mayoral candidate Alan Rose was strongest on economic issues in round two, saying the city’s major employers should be approached about complementary industries to focus city attraction efforts.
“So far all we’ve been doing is selling land on a discount and that’s not business development,” said Rose, who has been highly critical of Invest Medicine Hat efforts, adding he’s not sold on hydrogen development, and new lobbying for the Wildhorse border upgrades and Air Canada service is needed.
Mayoral candidate Tony Leahy reiterated his position that the city should take the lead on social issues such as mental health and addiction, and build city services to generate economic momentum.
“No business in the world that’s going to move to a city that has a record suicide rate, we need to get real,” he said.
Coming out of the pandemic, “we will need mental health supports like you wouldn’t believe,” said council candidate Kelly Allard. She advocated the city follow Calgary’s lead and install a vaccine requirement system for businesses to fill provincial gaps.
Incumbent Robert Dumanowski, a heavy backer of the city’s 2020 mask bylaw, stated he would support a uniform requirement that business owners could understand and implement.
“We don’t need to put this off any longer, our hospital is in crisis,” said candidate Paul Hemsing. “The current council needs to start in this direction immediately.”
Stephen Campbell, a spokesman for the “We Choose Freedom” movement that opposed the Hat’s mask bylaw, dismissed the idea.
“I believe in freedom of choice and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms,” he said. “I’d never support that bylaw… I’m asking for calm.”
Brian Varga, a two-term council member and landscaping company owner, said business activity is moving and council has set a path.
“Over four years I hope to move on some of the goals and priorities we’ve set and we have some lofty priorities,” he said.
Brad Gruzsie, who worked in the city’s IT department before he was laid off last spring, said he knows how to solve problems and save money,
He supports public utilities and is against the Waterfront project “as it sits now,” he said.
Hider, the director of the Ronald McDonald House, said “we need to bring meaningful employment to our city… this awesome community, and subsidies to our existing business.”
Marco Jansen, a business owner, said council should cede to owners’ opinion on the vaccine issue.
He also backed community rec centres over multiplexes “in far flung corners.”
“It might be good for tourism, but do you want to visit a city that nobody wants to live in?” he asked.
Shila Sharps, who owns a human resources firm, wants to concentrate on driving reinvestment downtown. The controversial issue of a supervised consumption sites should be revisited, she said.
“Currently what we have is unsupervised injections all over,” she said.
Others, especially Leahy, said a mobile service paired with social workers and recovery support was the best option.
Alison Van Dyke, a longtime public utilities and health-care advocate in her first political campaign called herself “a known quantity” in a busy race.
“I’m running on a campaign of social prosperity… a community that serves everyone in the community so everyone prospers,” she said, backing reinvestment in the power plant. “We have an asset that no other city in Alberta has.”
Brian Webster, a former deputy fire chief, said he brings budget responsibility to the race, supports community rec centres, has concerns over the downtown plan, and opposes any utility sale.
Justin Wright said “Medicine Hat can be the jewel of the Prairies and the jewel of Alberta, if we protect our advantage,” he said.
Immanuel Moritz is a retired construction company owner and a former member of the planning commission.
“Council will have to look at downtown redevelopment ‘the Waterfront District’ and flush out that opportunity,” he said.
Nicholas Martin, a power engineer, said he is pushing for a university in the Hat to add stable jobs, support employers and population growth.
“When kids grow up they go somewhere else (to school), and that is lost to the city forever,” he said.
Mike Starner, in the mayor’s race, said opportunities and facilities for youth are his priority.
Roger McClary, a former oilpatch technologist, said the slumping petroleum sector can be offset with green energy opportunities.
“These are long-term projects, and government can sometime concentrate on short-term,” he said.
Candidate Mark Asham is a salesman and pastor who supports public utilities and would concentrate on population and economic growth, he said.
Video presentation of the event was watched by about 1,100 people on Facebook and http://www.pimedianetwork.com. Profiles of candidates appear on the News website, with more added as they become available. A special News election guide will also be available in early October.
