King Ken

Ken Kowalski has won nine elections, served in the legislature under five premiers, held five cabinet posts including deputy premier, and served the last 15 years as Speaker of the Legislature. But those are all yesterday's challenges. Today's is dealing with that life after politics.

In his Barrhead constituency office, located on a street named after him, he is slowly packing away a career in politics, one box at a time.

On one wall of his office are bookshelves with copies of Alberta Hansard, the legislature's record of debates, going back to 1971. On another, dozens of scrapbooks featuring all of the newspaper articles about him from his constituency.

Between the bookshelves on virtually every free space, are framed pictures and certificates. He has signed photos from premiers, prime ministers, lieutenant governors and even one from Mark Messier. Kowalski estimates he has more than 600 framed pictures, prints and certificates and no idea where they will all go.

With his replacement as the Progressive Conservative candidate in place and an election not far away, Kowalski now spends a lot of time trying to figure that out.

"Every day I have to deal with something, otherwise I will never get it done."

Five-year rule

Kowalski's life in Barrhead began as a popular teacher, but as a young man, he had set a rule for himself – do a job five years at a stretch. It was a rule he would break in provincial politics, but following it he quit teaching in 1974.

"My plan was to go to the Aegan and write the spy thriller of all spy thrillers."

Before Kowalski could have a chance to become the next Ian Fleming, he received a job offer from Barrhead MLA and deputy premier Dr. Hugh Horner.

Kowalski went to work as Horner's executive assistant, leading to a job in the civil service, rising to deputy minister, but in less than five years time he would abandon all of that again when he received a call from Horner. It was 1979 and Horner called Kowalski to tell him he would be leaving politics.

For Kowalski to take over for Horner required first winning the party's nomination, which had five challengers. But Kowalski wouldn't have to run against any of them.

"I went and asked them all to drop out and support me and they all did, so I won my first nomination by acclamation."

In the last provincial election in 2008, Kowalski won with more than 70 per cent of the vote, but in his first election his victory was not as easy. The Alberta Liberals ran their new leader Nick Taylor against him.

Kowalski's first premier Peter Lougheed says he remembered the challenge that first election presented.

"It was a contest because Mr. Taylor was the leader of the Liberal party at the time and you're dealing with the leader of the party with all the resources that means."

Lougheed says when Kowalski first came to the legislature he was immediately impressed.

"He would be near the top in terms of coming in as a new MLA and having a complete grasp of what was expected as a member of the legislative assembly."

Lougheed attributes Kowalski's skills to what he learned from Horner.

"There would hardly anybody who would show you a better way of doing it than Dr. Horner, but I think Ken Kowalski picked it up so well."

Kowalski agrees he learned at his mentor's feet. He says what he learned from Horner was that the job of an MLA is to solve problems.

"Our job is to help, solve the issue, solve the problem, provide the best advice. No never comes into the quantification."

King Ralph

It was with his third premier that Kowalski would play his biggest role in provincial government.

The day Premier Don Getty announced he was stepping down, Kowalski says he got together in an Edmonton condominium with Ernie Isley, Peter Elzinga, Don Sparrow and Peter Trynchy, with all five looking to one of the other to run in the coming leadership race.

Kowalski says when none of them wanted to take on the job, they looked at the window and the man who would be Alberta's next premier just happened to be driving by.

"There is Klein he is driving down by Jasper Avenue," Kowalski says someone in the room shouted.

He says after the five convinced Klein to run, they set out to make sure he would win.

"We all knew what we had to do. We had to go convince, we had to go sell. I just happened to be in a position to be able to deliver a whole bunch of support."

When Klein was elected Kowalski became deputy premier and the "minister of everything" he was minister of public works and supply services and also supervised Alberta lotteries and the public affairs bureau.

With all that responsibility, his resignation from cabinet in October 1994 caught everyone off guard, but Kowalski says he saw the writing on the wall and in this case in Maclean's magazine.

He says he was getting ready to step down from cabinet, exhausted from his multiple portfolios, and return to a slower pace as an MLA. He planned to announce the move at a dinner for his 15th anniversary that November.

Kowalski says he knew a Maclean's article, which appeared in the summer calling him "Alberta's real premier" would end that plan.

"I looked at that. I closed the magazine and I say to the people in my office, 'Get ready, this is over.' "

Speaker's chair

Kowalski says despite the uproar his resignation from cabinet caused he knew it was going to happen. Following a few years as a backbencher, in 1997 Kowalski became speaker, a post he had held ever since.

Former premier Ed Stelmach said he met with Kowalski even before becoming an MLA, when he was a county reeve, and Kowalski advised him on how to be a local MLA.

As premier, Stelmach says he was always impressed with Kowalski's ability to keep the legislature civil.

"He had a way of dealing with sometimes recalcitrant members, on either side, government and opposition, in such a manner that didn't really put them down, but impressed upon them his authority as speaker," he says. "That was his forte, maybe he picked it upduring his time as a teacher."

Premier Alison Redford agrees with Stelmach about Kowalski's contributions as speaker and says he also put a focus on the legislature's traditions and history.

"He has left a legacy of history that we didn't have before in this legislature. He has brought a sense of ceremony and tradition to the legislature."

Redford remembers interacting with Kowalski, first as a teenager with a group called the forum for young Albertans, and later through the PC party.

"Ken Kowalski was the minister of different things so I would go to policy conferences with him and sit and talk with him and he was always just incredibly supportive."

Kowalski is stepping away along with dozens of other long-serving MLAs. He says while he initially planned to run he eventually realized there was a need for change.

"I made the decision twice, the first time was to run again and then I started thinking about that … I am going to be 70-plus years of age and there is need for generational change."

While Redford ran a campaign on generational change, she says the party and the province still have a need for the history Kowalski helped create.

"He has seen many things happen in this building that at a particular point in time people thought were crises, people thought they were the beginning of something or the end of something and he has seen all of that," she says. "Anyone who has a perspective and can guide some of us who are newer to the situation and to leadership is really valuable."

For his part Kowalski sees continued success for his party, but he doesn't plan to meddle.

"I will spend a lot of time around here, minding my own business," he emphasizes. "Minding my own business not getting involved in anyone else's business."

Once the packing is done and the last crate is sent away he says he doesn't plan to spend a lot of time reminiscing on his political career either.

"I am going to look forward not backwards, so I can't miss anything if I don't know what is coming."