By Ian Gustafson

June 26

Red Deer District Chamber to hold panel discussion on what it takes to run for municipal government

Jun 18, 2025 | 4:46 PM

The Red Deer District Chamber, in collaboration with Alberta Municipalities, is set to hold a panel discussion on public service and leadership.

On Thursday, June 26 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Pidherney Curling Centre, those in attendance will hear from a panel of elected officials, including City of Red Deer Mayor Ken Johnston, Red Deer County Mayor Jim Wood, and Sylvan Lake Mayor Megan Hanson on what it takes to run for city council.

The conversation will be facilitated by Alberta Municipalities President and Mayor of Wetaskiwin, Tyler Gandam.

Red Deer District Chamber CEO Scott Robinson said many people don’t understand what experience is needed or just how big of a commitment it is to run for city council or any public service position.

The Chamber saw a need for an event such as this with the municipal election coming up in October.

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“We’ll have a panel of experts there to share some information on what it’s about, what it takes, and what you can look forward to. Hopefully, we inspire some people to consider running for our municipal councils,” Robinson said.

One of the biggest questions he’s seen is how big of a time commitment it is to be on city council. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not a full time job but it is very busy.

“Over time we’ve seen very young people run for city council who are starting out in a career and find time to sit on a council and then we find others who are retired in the twilight of their career,” he said. “We want to dispell some of that information and we also want to give people the real positive things about why it’s great to run for a public service, why it’s important, and why we need good leaders who care about our communities.”

Robinson explained it’ll be an inspirational evening and if anyone is interested, to register for the event on the Red Deer District Chamber website. You don’t have to be a Chamber member to sign up.