Born-and-raised Hatter Adam Koch, the owner and executive chef at Hometown restaurant on North Railway, is running for city council will the goal of ensuring the city's most vulnerable are represented.--Submitted Photo
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Taking his first steps into the world of politics, local restaurateur Adam Koch has announced his intent to run for Medicine Hat city council.
Koch was born and raised within the city, and is the owner of Hometown Culinary. While he is not a traditional politician, he believes that will allow him to offer a much-needed fresh perspective on the city.
He says he was approached in the spring by someone asking if he would consider running provincially, and while that seemed daunting, a municipal campaign aligned well with him.
“I’m pretty passionate about this city. I moved back here very deliberately from Toronto, even though I was born and raised here and opened a business here. So I’m very rooted here,” said Koch. “I’m very passionate about some of the local issues that we have going on, and I’m also very concerned that we’re going to see a pendulum shift away from some of the progress that previous councils have made.”
“I think there’s an attitude that’s prevailing in the city that we need to run it like a business, and I just want to be a voice at the table that thinks about the other interests as well,” said Koch.
Koch has centred his campaign around issues on the social aspect of the city, such as homelessness, addiction and public transit, but does bring with him a hands-on understanding of being a local businessperson and a drive to promote responsible, community-focused growth based on the needs of the people who live here.
He also believes there is an opportunity to work on better public understanding of the role of a councillor, both in and out of council.
“I think that there is a little bit of a public expectation that councillors can do an awful lot more than they realistically can,” said Koch. “I’d really like to refocus on what the role of council is, and just make sure that we let the professionals and the experts do the good work that they do, because there’s plenty of very capable and talented city workers, and I don’t think it’s helpful to be meddling in in their work. I believe that councillors need to act as a member of a board of directors, essentially.”
He also added that he would like to see council acting as ambassadors for the city and be more present within the public at public events, something he intends to uphold if elected, as, “I really think that their visibility within the community is one of the important roles.”
In the weeks to come, Koch plans to have a very active, modern campaign, presenting ideas at various events and over social media to make his priorities and plans for his potential time in municipal politics known. He encourages people to reach out to him so he can continue to learn what matters to residents.
“I’m not afraid of disagreement, as long as, you know, things stay respectful, and I’m certainly not afraid of throwing myself into the debate about some heady issues, some things that are maybe a little bit more heavy or emotional,” said Koch.
He described himself as someone who has “very strong opinions that are loosely held,” that he’s not afraid to be swayed from his position if there is factual evidence presented, and that he intends to represent everyone’s interests, not only those he agrees with from the start.
“I would certainly love for people to reach out and tell me what they think I need to hear as a candidate,” said Koch.
Additional information, as well as how to contact Koch, can be found at adamkoch.ca.
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