An avid volunteer who served as a Town councillor in Turner Valley since 2013 is stepping up to the mayor’s seat.
Barry Crane was the only resident to submit a nomination form today for the mayor title for this spring’s municipal byelection. Crane resigned from council on Feb. 5 to run for the position following the resignation of former mayor Gary Rowntree on Jan. 25.
Crane will be sworn in as mayor at the March 4 council meeting.
“As soon as the opportunity presented itself I knew within minutes that my next choice was to run for mayor,” he said, adding he was planning to run in the 2021 municipal election. “With two and a half years left in the term it’s a perfect introduction to the roles and responsibilities that I was going to aspire to.”
Candidates for the vacant mayor and councillor chairs had between 10 a.m. and noon Feb. 25 to submit nomination forms to run in the April 8 municipal byelection.
Those who submitted their names for the spot vacated by Crane were Greg Pyra, Randy Williamson, Jamie Wilkie, Brenda Smethhurst, Richard Brotherston and Kathryn McGuire. The candidates have until noon on Feb. 26 to withdraw their nominations, if they choose.
Crane said he looks forward to the months ahead.
“I believe it’s my time to lead this council,” he said. “For me the mayor is simply a figurehead that gets the luxury to speak at public forums.”
The father of two said he’s felt community support since Day 1.
“Since I posted my official resignation with intention to run I’ve only heard positive feedback,” he said. “It means that people agree with where our council is headed in the people they elected in the first place and the fact that we have six people running for council only goes to show that democracy is alive and well in Turner Valley.”
Crane said the current council is on the right track.
“The inexperience creates great debate and requests for more clarification, which is healthy from both the council and administration point of view,” he said. “It puts everyone on the same page. Healthy debate and questioning requests is part of the process and shouldn’t be looked at negatively but should be an empowerment that the process is working.”
Crane said he’s eager to get back to the table and get some work done. Council is set to approve its 2019 operating budget. A revised version of the budget will come before council at its March 4 meeting.
“Two weeks off has been nice to work on the house and my projects, but it’s definitely been a void in not being informed and involved,” he said. “It will be great to be a part of that budget approval as we worked so hard on that.”
The new role will have no impact on Crane’s volunteer pursuits.
“I really enjoy public participation on every level from kids sports where I coach to Scouts where I’m a Cub leader to the Foothills Lions Club where I’ve held positions such as president,” he said. “Being involved in the community overall to me is what service on council is all about.”
