(rdnewsNOW file photo)

By Alessia Proietti

Candidate qualities

Red Deer to hold first council byelection in city’s history; will you run?

Jan 17, 2024 | 4:50 PM

The City of Red Deer will be seeing their first council by-election in history this year.

Following the unexpected passing of Councillor Michael Dawe in December 2023, the City confirmed the Municipal Government Act requires that a by-election be held within 120 days of the vacancy. Council is expected to decide further details at their upcoming meeting this Monday.

Mayor Ken Johnston explained the by-election process will run like a formal general election, but on a smaller scale.

He expects the nomination day to be around the end of March, when the final ballot sheet will be created with those interested in running, as they submit their paperwork and are provided with campaign rules on permitted signage and donations, to name a few. No other candidates will be able to run following this day.

The by-election day would take place one month after, expected for the end of April, likely with advance and various polling stations across the city.

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Over the next 60 days, citizens can begin to explore if this role is something they might consider doing.

“The community will always make the right decision. Democracy has certainly taken a bit of a bumpy ride here over the last five years or so but there’s an expression in politics that the community always gets it right and I really have discovered that in municipal politics,” he said.

Johnston said the best candidate would be someone who is passionate about the growth of the city.

“The general public is looking for somebody with a broad resume, that they can make decisions that are based on a good sense of the issues, the ability to research well, and the ability to have good, strong, relational character,” he said.

Based on his own experience, Johnston says this person should have a resume filled with community service as well as a professional background that touches upon topics like finance, planning, and land and economic development.

He hopes, in particular, that they have a broad approach to handling local issues with, “a heart for the betterment of the city, and I’m talking about the whole city, not just one part of the city. Not just the business community or the tourism community or whomever, but the entire city.”

He said candidates should compare the election process to a job interview, and their campaigning as a question-and-answer period as the public wants to know what attributes they will bring to represent their community interests on council.

Johnston acknowledged the challenges the new councillor will face given their entrance over halfway through the four-year term, adding it would be an asset if the candidate has been following along with events in the city. While there will be a steep learning curve, as with all new councillors, he says it is a good opportunity for someone who wants to run again in their next 2025 election.

“Personally, what I’m hoping for is someone that can come in, feel comfortable in a setting where they’re the newcomer, have enough confidence in themselves and in their place that they’ll assimilate quickly because I can tell you that our people-culture on council is a strong one and we will be embracing whoever is at the table with us in April,” he said, adding that council is currently made up of a diverse group of ages and perspectives, representing a good cross-section of the community.

While the City has held by-elections for school board trustees in the past, this will be the first ever for a councillor.

Recognizing the difficulties of organizing a by-election during a time of mourning, he said council must be pragmatic and responsive to their duties with an odd-numbered body for fair decision making.

“You always want to honour the legacy and the priorities of your colleague who’s no longer at the table. There’s a reality there and Councillor Dawe, obviously, left such an impact on the entire city, not just on council, of course. His loss is a Red Deer loss right across the board,” he said.

“If anyone was Red Deer at our table, it was Michael Dawe, and I don’t mean that person coming in has to fill his shoes, but it certainly does speak to that love of community.”

READ: Red Deer city council remembers councillors Michael Dawe and Frank Wong during meeting

He added it would also be a good opportunity to honor Dawe’s legacy with a new councillor who loves Red Deer and its people as much as he did.

“Love of community is really what motivates people, otherwise, politics can be a difficult and discouraging calling,” he said. “It’s always about getting in touch with why you ran in the first place.”

“Anybody that enters public life with its challenges, especially in this current day in age, […] really has to be motivated by, ‘I want to make a difference in my community today that improves its quality of life, that makes it a better place, and my hope is I’ll be making a lasting contribution’.”

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