The race for the Progressive Conservative nomination in Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock is officially on with the announcement of two more candidates.
Maureen Kubinec, a current county councillor and deputy reeve in Westlock County, and Tim Schultz, executive assistant to Deputy Premier and Treasury Board President Doug Horner, have declared their plans to seek the nomination to replace MLA Ken Kowalski, who has announced his plans to retire.
Kubinec and Schultz are the second and third candidates to enter the race after Westlock town councillor David Truckey, who announced his plans last week.
Kowalski had initially said in August he would run again and received his party's nomination in an uncontested race, but said in early December he had decided to step down, because he no longer wanted the hectic schedule.
Kubinec who was first elected to county council in 2010, was a school board trustee for 12 years prior and she said when Kowalski announced his retirement she felt ready to run.
"I have had a pretty varied background, with lots of experience in elected positions and when the news came that Mr. Kowalski was retiring I had quite a few people tell me to run and I am quite excited to be doing that."
Kubinec said Kowalski has offered the communities he serves very good representation, which she hopes to continue.
She said as a trustee and councillor she has aimed to listen to her constituents and that would be a priority as an MLA as well.
"I am always a proponent of good governance and where the people are kind of as closely involved and participatory as possible, if we can move that to the provincial level it would be a good thing."
She said she is concerned about young people losing interest in politics and she would like to reverse that trend. She said to do that she would engage with youth and would also aim to change the general view of politics.
"I want to change that so politicians aren't seen in a bad light. They shouldn't be. They are people doing their best," she said. "I want the word politician to be moving away from being a bad word."
As a former trustee, as well as past president of the Alberta School Boards' Association, Kubinec said she understands the importance of education and as county councillor she understands the impact on the community.
She said some schools in the northern part of Westlock are facing closure because of weak enrolment.
"That is affecting us as a county and we are working with our school board to see how we can change this, so certainly education is one of my passions."
Kubinec said with Premier Alison Redford's victory this fall and the number of MLAs who are retiring, the Alberta legislature will look different in the spring regardless of who wins and it might be what Albertans want.
"We are going to see a big change and I think that might be the change that Alberta is looking for."
Coming home
For Schultz, seeking the nomination in Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock is like returning home. Both he and his wife grew up in Barrhead with Schultz working in the community before opening an agricultural dealership in Westlock. After the business went under due to a lack of contracts, Schultz worked in oil and gas for 20 years before Horner tapped him on the shoulder to serve as his executive assistant three years ago.
"I learned quite a bit and I think there's an opportunity to continue the work Ken Kowalski has done. But I think I have the ability to work out some of the issues that might come from the constituents, to help these people out," Schultz said.
"It's more about helping them out and going back to where we started from," Schultz said said, adding that Horner has been an excellent mentor.
Schultz said he felt motivated to run after he recently learned the Case agriculture dealership in Barrhead is shutting its doors. In small communities he says, businesses such as Case are significant and their failures affect the entire population in that area.
"I don't think there's a problem with work but I have a problem with seeing a business close down. When you lose something like that, you lose the fabric of the community."
Schultz does not live in the constituency — he and his wife live just outside St. Albert. But given his family ties to the region and his history as the regional director for the Barrhead-Morinville-Westlock constituency in the past, Schultz believes he is the best choice in the nomination race.
"I'm a hard worker. I also understand how government works and I feel comfortable with the issues, with suggestions or ideas that I would be able to move them forward in government. I think I can get them what they need if it's possible. Sometimes the answer is no."
Kowalski will be leaving behind a significant legacy and it's the service he gave to his constituents more than anything else Schultz says he wants to continue.
"People have become accustomed to, and expect, that kind of ready response. When they've had that good treatment from the existing MLA, I just hope the service I provide wouldn't drop off."
He acknowledges he's in for a good race with the two others running for the position, but considering everyone is playing from the same book, he doesn't anticipate anything untoward in the campaign for the nomination.
"I think our thought processes are fairly aligned and they are not doing it just to be an MLA," Schultz said. "My process is to make sure that those values and principles of the party are part of the platform I can move forward with in everything you do. I don't anticipate any big controversies."
