Cypress County Deptuy Reeve Richard Oster will not seek re-election

By ANNA SMITH Local Journalism Initiative on July 24, 2025.

asmith@medicinehatnews.com

Cypress County Deputy Reeve Richard Oster has announced he doesn’t intend to pursue re-election this fall.

While Oster has served on council for three terms and roughly twelve years, he told the News Wednesday he feels the time has come for him to pursue other opportunities in life.

“I’m 73 now, and to make a four year commitment up to the age of 77 I think is asking a lot. I would just like to have some more personal time,” said Oster, noting that he would like to be able to visit family in other parts of the province more often.

Looking back over his time both as a Councillor and as Reeve, Oster noted the completion of the Irvine Library as a highlight. While the project met with some controversy, Oster said that the facility, “has turned out to be a fantastic project that’s used daily by moms and dads with babies right up to grandpas and grandmas,” and he feels it was money well spent.

“The other thing that I worked on when I was the Reeve, I worked hard with the rest of Council, of course on the project to get the trail from Southridge over to Desert Blume, which we partnered with the Rotary Club to build. That trail is used every day. What a great investment,” said Oster.

He highlighted how the project connected the two communities, while enhancing safety for cyclists as they no longer need to use the main road.

For those looking to potentially run for Council, Oster recommends above all else, to be ready to commit to four years of various topics. He warned that anyone who joins with a passion for only one issue may find their point resolved one way or the other very swiftly, and then will still need to find passion for several more years.

“If you like to stay curious, like meeting people, enjoy good discussion and your personal objective is to continue making Cypress County the great place it is, this might be a job for you,” said Oster. “It’s a great County to serve in, we have great staff and an incredible council, and great ratepayers. We’re really, very lucky.”

Over the years, Oster says he’s learned the value of teamwork and how rewarding being open to having his mind changed can be, and he is grateful for all of the years he has spent, as well as the memorable experiences.

As for what’s next, he intends to live his life to the fullest, enjoy motorcycle trips, improving his golf game and spending more time with his grandchildren.

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