Local realtor Mark Cassidy has become the sixth person to declare their intentions to seek the Progressive Conservative nomination in St. Albert.
Cassidy announced his intention to run for the nomination this week, just as the filing period for candidates opened up.
He said he has always had an interest in politics and is now taking the opportunity to get involved in public life.
“My inspiration was Premier [Peter] Lougheed. He inspired me about politics when I was growing up as a child.”
Lougheed’s ability to connect with Albertans is what has always impressed Cassidy.
“He was a leader for the people and spoke for the greater good of the people and the people listened and genuinely felt he cared for them.”
On the provincial front, Cassidy said he would like to see a fiscal conservative approach to the province’s finances, but he would also like to see the province invest in good infrastructure and good schools.
Locally, he would like to see the province extend Ray Gibbon Drive to help ease the traffic pressure on St. Albert Trail.
While he doesn’t immediately have a solution, he believes the province should take a hard look at electricity rates and prices.
“The electricity prices seems to be an immediate concern of people and that concerns myself too because I am a consumer.”
Cassidy, who grew up in the city, was a middle child in a family of seven and said that experience taught him to listen to all sides.
“I saw the issues from all sides and I treat the Conservative party as partly a family and I think I can bring all issues to all sides and see how best they can be dealt with.”
A realtor for the last 27 years, Cassidy said that business experience should serve him well as a politician.
“People have a right to know what they are buying into, that is what I learned about real estate and we learned how to read people, who they are and what their message is.”
Cassidy joins what has quickly become a crowded race since local MLA Ken Allred announced in December that he wasn’t interested in another term.
Since then school trustee Jacquie Hansen, businessman Steve Khan, former air force pilot Jeff Wedman, 150th committee volunteer Kent La Rose and local school administrator Sleight Anstruther have all joined the race.
The Wildrose party has nominated former councillor James Burrows, the Alberta Party has selected businessman Tim Osborne and the NDP will be running Nicole Bowes in the riding.
While no election date has been set, under newly passed provincial law it has to take place sometime between March 1 and May 31.
