Retiree Donald Knudsen has some municipal politics in his background, and says he can not only help get the city on the right oath forward, but also help ensure a more harmonious council that works together for the people of Medicine Hat.--Submitted Photo
asmith@medicinehatnews.com
From therapy dog visits to being a local Santa Claus, Donald B. Knudsen is deeply involved in the community. And now, he wants to add a term on council to the list.
This is not the first time Knudsen has been involved in municipal politics, as he was once deputy mayor in Golden Prairie, Sask. After observing the past few years, he says he has felt very discouraged by current decisions and now seeks to lend a hand to get the city back on the right path.
“I’m kind of an outside-the-box kind of thinker and maybe some of my ideas are good, so maybe I can help improve it,” Knudsen told the News. He is currently a member of the Municipal Planning Commission, and has been involved with a few recent decisions, including the Mustard Seed’s applications, which remain a topic of interest for the election.
One of his greatest priorities for the city is affordable housing, believing that if there were homes and rental spaces more accessible to the average worker, it would help attract more people to stay in Medicine Hat, make the city more attractive to industry and help lessen the level of homelessness with one project.
“Affordable housing works for jobs. It works for seniors, it works for people with pets, it works for first-time home buyers,” said Knudsen. “We have excellent modular home manufacturing both in the city and in Bow Island. Why not make use of that?”
He would also like to see investment into attracting large scale industry such as aerospace development, while supporting smaller businesses that already call Medicine Hat home. He hopes to “reduce red tape,” which he says can be prohibitive when businesses of any size are looking for a place to invest, while also increasing the infrastructure that brings people to the area, be it for long-term stays or for travel.
“You need to have lots of places for people; they’re travelling through, to stop and spend a day or two in Medicine Hat, spend a few dollars,” said Knudsen, suggesting that increasing the visual appeal of the city and having additional spaces for camping or RV parking may be a way to boost the local economy through tourism.
However, Knudsen does not see these plans as something that should mean increased taxes for those who already call the city home.
“I don’t want to see taxes going up anymore. I did the math; everybody does the math, but I did the math, too,” said Knudsen. “About 5.7 per cent this year, 5.7 per cent next year is 13 per cent, and it’s not like you’re not getting more services. It’s just to pay for what I think are some things we don’t need to be paying for.”
If elected, Knudsen has promised to make the city his first priority, something he considers himself lucky to be able to do as a retiree. In the meantime, he encourages anyone who wants to know more about his platform to visit his Facebook, as he will be sharing more viewpoints as the election nears.
Overall, he believes he could help promote a more harmonious council, bringing to the table his time working in various industries, and even within politics.
“When I go to council meetings, I sit back and kind of read the crowd,” said Knudsen. “I think that’s something that I can bring in and maybe smooth things over a little bit, keep things moving ahead. I’ve always got along so well with the people I work with, and that’s another thing I want to bring to this city council.”
