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An Okotoks councillor of 11 years has decided not to run for a fourth term in 2021.
Coun. Matt Rockley has announced he will not seek re-election on Oct. 18.
He said the goals he had when he first joined council in 2010 – focusing on growth management and taxation, equity and water supply – have seen some progress over the past three terms.
“Those things have been mostly met now, and it’s a good time for me to step back and let some new folks come to the table and make some more changes and bring some new perspectives and new passion for the town,” said Rockley.
Prior to running for his first term, Rockley had volunteered on the Okotoks Municipal Planning Commission with no intention of going into municipal politics.
His interest was piqued when development and growth issues began to bubble to the surface, posing concerns for taxation.
At the time, Okotoks was still operating under its finite growth model with a population cap, and the plan was that the town would remain within its boundaries at the time and future development of the vicinity would occur outside its borders, within the County – then MD of Foothills.
While Rockley said that had been a good idea in the ‘90s, when country residential development was limited because of lack of utilities, technological advancements over time resulted in higher-density developments such as Heritage Pointe in the County.
“I just saw there could be a real problem with taxation in the future, because all of those property taxes and the future growth of the community would be going to the MD of Foothills,” said Rockley.
He said despite the working relationship the Town has with the County and the shared services agreements that have both municipalities funding infrastructure used by residents from in and outside of town, property taxes would have been impacted.
Okotoks would have stood in a deficit position if growth occurred outside its borders, he said.
“People within the Town of Okotoks boundary proper would have vastly escalating property taxes and very busy, overcrowded public services and facilities, because there would be so many more people and so much less money in the public coffers,” said Rockley.
It became his main motivation to run for council.
After the planning commission met with Okotoks councillors in 2009 and it was clear five of seven people wanted to see the population cap continue without concern over growth just outside town, Rockley made his decision.
“I knew in order to make a difference, being on the planning commission wasn’t enough,” he said. “I needed to get a seat at the table to change minds and make things better.”
During the campaign he tried to knock on every door in Okotoks, working hard to introduce himself and secure a seat on council. His family helped deliver brochures and drive the campaign.
That’s one aspect of municipal politics Rockley said he’ll miss.
“I’m going to miss campaigning,” he said. “When I first campaigned in 2010, not since I was a kid had I felt that connected to my community, and it was just amazing.
“When I was a teenager I knew pretty much everybody in town, so it was great to have that feeling again.”
He will also miss working with fellow councillors towards common goals that move the priorities of the Town forward.
It’s the relationship-building, inside and outside of council chambers, Rockley said is hardest to leave behind.
“It will be the relationships I’ll miss most, with the councillors and the informal ones when you’re out campaigning or at public events and people come up to talk to council,” he said. “It’s really filled any drive I have for social interaction.”
