Mayoral candidate Alan Rose says he would bring an organizational strength and ability to keep council informed and on track should he be chosen to lead Medicine Hat moving forward.--Submitted Photo
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
Above all else, Alan Rose believes Medicine Hat’s next mayor needs to be a voice for the city on the grander stage. And he hopes to be that voice.
This is not the first time Rose has run for mayor, but he feels he has at least one more campaign in him. His decision, he says, is fuelled by a sense of gratitude and respect for his forebearers, who put in the work so his problems would be less severe, and a desire to pay that forward.
“When you realize that they, and many others like them, put up with so much and suffered so much that today, our big complaint is we can’t get full bars on our cell phones,” said Rose. He continued that he felt fortunate to realize young that community and experiences were what he wanted from life.
As he gets older and looks back on his involvement within the city, he feels he wants to help people have as positive of an experience living in this city as he has.
“I’ve always worked politically behind the scenes, but I’ve never wanted to stand out in front. But I do want to help people,” said Rose.
He believes the city needs to attract industry, something that won’t be accomplished simply by lowering taxes. Drawing on his years working in industry, Rose says his goal will be instead to address what actually attracts businesses; access to supplies, access to markets and access to trained employees.
“I do see my own children, none of my children live in Medicine Hat. None of my grandchildren live in Medicine Hat, and the reason is because there’s nothing here for them,” said Rose. “I keep hearing that we’ve got some manufacturers looking at coming down to look at the city, and then we get nothing. But that’s because the fundamentals aren’t met.”
While some of his issues, such as more access to higher education closer to home and the 24-hour opening of Wild Horse Border Crossing aren’t municipal issues, Rose says he intends to be an incredibly active advocate to other levels of government to see this potential realized, regardless of what party is in power.
He stresses that he believes the mayor and council should remain largely apolitical in regards to provincial and federal politics, making the city their No. 1 priority, not party lines.
“If elected, I want to sit down with council and pick out the top t10 points that we feel need to be addressed on the provincial and federal level,” said Rose. “Once we do that, I set up delegations consisting of senior admin and council to then make appointments with select ministers and canvas on behalf of Medicine Hat so they don’t forget us.”
Within town, Rose plans to see city projects with targets and measurable metrics for success before they start. This would allow it to be clear what is working, instead of looking to subjective goals such as a “vibrant downtown.”
As the only full-time council member, Rose says he would commit to ensuring the rest of council had all the information and assistance they needed prior to meetings, to encourage better collaboration and efficiency.
He also wishes to work on finding an ideal location to support and house those experiencing homelessness, as well as a focus on lowering the cost of taxes and utilities to make living within the city more affordable.
“I want our council to be informed and up to date on things so we can make proper decisions. This thing coming out that well, at least we know it doesn’t work. That’s not an excuse when you’re dealing with other people’s money,” said Rose.
“I’ve been blessed to be in the position I’m in, it’s time for me to start giving back. I believe my unique experience in life will help me as a leader on a team, as a head of council, to keep council informed.
“I’m not saying I know everything, but if there’s a topic that I don’t understand or don’t know much about, chances are I know somebody who knows a lot about it.”
