Representing Turner Valley means keeping taxpayers informed and involved, said one of six candidates in Turner Valley’s upcoming municipal byelection.
Jamie Wilkie stressed it’s important that town council hosts frequent public information sessions to gain insight from residents, particularly for topics concerning service level reviews, the economic development strategy and amalgamation.
“Then everybody has got that information in front of them and we can solicit informed feedback,” he said. “Council should not be making decisions without being informed on what it is the residents want. It’s their job to inform the public in advance of the vote.”
If elected, Wilkie said he will post why he voted the way he did on decisions made at the council table on a personal website. He said it will be his way of being accountable for the decisions he makes.
Wilkie said he was among those who advocated for live video feeds during council meetings.
“There’s a big group of folks who care a lot about what’s going on and just can’t make it to council meetings,” he said. “I fall into that. I have two young kids. If I’m not on council and I have the option to watch online it helps me stay informed.”
If elected, Wilkie said he’ll make himself available to the public and invite them to contact him via phone, social media, email and his website.
“I’m representing everyone in the town so they have to be able to get a hold of me,” he said.
With council working towards cutting costs and finding operational efficiencies, Wilkie, who has a background in financial analysis, said he would like to take it a step further and have the Town’s financials compared to similar-sized communities.
“When you compare to our peer communities of similarly size we have a very high tax load, particularly when you include utilities,” he said. “We need to create a culture of accountability within all levels of the Town. I want to ensure we’re paying (staff) fairly and the way to ensure that is to compare to communities that have similar backgrounds.”
In looking to the future, Wilkie envisions the Town taking a more proactive approach to risk management.
He said he wants council to have an accurate inventory of development liabilities in cases where developers leave before completing projects.
“You’ve got people moved into homes and that leaves the Town in a spot where they may have to fund finishing that development to make sure residents have a safe community and the services they were promised under the development agreement,” he said. “I want to be aware of risks and make sure we’re planning appropriately around them.
“We’ve got a lot of change coming that could impact the town and we need to be prepared for that. As long as we thought it through we’re able to capitalize in a big way.”
Wilkie said he also sees a future in building on what’s already offered in the community of less than 2,500 people when it comes to business.
“The (Eau Claire) Distillery, there’s lots of businesses, Motorrad (Performance), where they’re capitalizing on what we have here and using that to bring tourists through to drive business,” he said. “We need to find ways to build on that and make sure we’re pushing that.”
To learn more or to get in touch with Wilkie contact him at 403-901-5482, [email protected] and on Twitter and Facebook.
Voting takes place April 8 at the council chambers from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
