With the Oct. 18 election arriving sooner than we think, it’s important to know who’s running for leadership roles in the community and what they’ll bring to the table as mayor, town councillor, county councillor or school board trustee.
Okotoks and Foothills area voters will have plenty of choices at the ballot with a large number of candidates coming forward to run in the 2021 election.
In Okotoks, there are three candidates for mayor and a staggering 24 running for council seats, only one of whom, Ken Heemeryck, is an incumbent.
It’s a bit more of a traditional election picture on the Foothills County Council scene with a mixture of incumbents, both coming in by acclamation and being contested, as well as a few new challengers.
The CMRB is a massive topic for County candidates as well as rural crime and highway traffic safety, to name a few.
In Turner Valley and Black Diamond there is again a pretty strong mix of incumbents and challengers.
Barry Crane has been acclaimed as Turner Valley mayor, while there are nine hopefuls for council seats. In Black Diamond, incumbent Ruth Goodwin is being challenged by Brendan Kelly with a further 10 candidates running for council seats.
For the Foothills School Division trustee vote, two Okotoks positions are up for grabs, another in High River as well as Heritage Heights-Blackie-Cayley. For Christ the Redeemer Catholic Schools, the Okotoks ward will also have two challengers.
This coming week will see a number of candidate forums in person and online as the election hits the stretch drive.
We have extensive coverage in print and online at OkotoksToday.ca on the candidates. Moreover, many candidates have websites and social media pages outlining their platforms. With technology, it’s never been easier to conduct research.
It’s vital we all make informed decisions on the future of our region.
