By Josh Hall | @Vancan19

wants to see a new vision

Election newcomer and businessman John Gallagher seeking Red Deer mayor seat

Sep 26, 2025 | 5:12 PM

John Gallagher says he doesn’t like what he’s seen at City Hall, and running for mayor is his way of doing something about it.

Gallagher, a businessman and entrepreneur in Red Deer since 1979, he shared, says he’d like to be mayor because he’s a highly visible person in the community.

“I am a social butterfly, I like to know what’s going on in my community, and I will serve with integrity if I have the opportunity to be mayor,” he said.

“I just believe there’s a disconnection right now, and we need a highly visible individual out there for the residents of Red Deer.”

Gallagher noted he has business experience in construction management, and has strengths in business administration and project management.

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“My commitment to the community is for economic development, because this is what drives everything in Red Deer. It drives taxes, and making sure our locals are employed. We need to do that, and then also address the problems we’re having in the community,” he said.

Gallagher noted crime first and foremost, saying it has gotten out of hand.

“We don’t rule the streets anymore, they do, and it has reverberated. It has hit all parts of Red Deer,” he said.

“With homelessness, there’s got to be a way to address this. We need to have positive solutions to move forward on this.”

Asked how he would tackle crime and homelessness, he said, first off emergency services need to be well-funded, well-staffed and on the ground with high visibility.

He also claimed there are lots of properties locally that are empty and ready to rent.

“We have no safety net anywhere for anybody. We need to find out what the root causes are for the homelessness. Do people want to be homeless? Do they want to be housed? Does it come down to evictions? Is it mental health? We need to get as much information to the public so that there’s transparency,” he opined.

“The general public needs to know what’s going on.”

Finally, Gallagher talked about what he’d do to cause a shift at City Hall.

He said there must be more accountability among council, but also pointed to the city’s Economic Development Strategy, last updated in 2015.

“The city hasn’t evolved and adapted to a changing world. Lots has changed [in that span]. Usually, strategies are updated every four or five years, so it’s pretty unforgivable to be in that position,” he stated.

“There’s no clear vision. I’ve been in this community 46 years and I’m sad to see the way it has deteriorated. We need to move forward.

Gallagher noted he went through the Bachelor of Arts program at the University of Manitoba, as well as some adult education at Red Deer College for business administration, as well as project management at Mount Royal.

You can hear Gallagher and the other five candidates for mayor give their thoughts on the Sept. 26 episode of The Everything Red Deer Podcast!

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READ MORE

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