After a snoozer of a three-way race that saw Mayor Nolan Crouse enjoy a landslide victory in the 2007 civic election, it initially appeared he’d have an even easier go of it this October. The emergence of a new mayoral candidate last week doesn’t necessarily guarantee a close race, however it certainly is good news for democracy in St. Albert and hopefully will generate much-needed discussion about important issues facing city hall.
Three years ago Crouse stampeded to victory with 58 per cent of the vote. Given that result, his conciliatory approach to the job, near boundless energy and ticking clock, it seemed unlikely a challenger would emerge. Shelley Biermanski did just that when she announced her candidacy for the top job, citing growing frustration with a city hall she says is out of touch with St. Albertans.
Win or lose, Biermanski’s entry into the race is good news for St. Albert voters. Obviously, acclamation is not good for democracy, especially for a high-profile position such as mayor. If Crouse was allowed to run unchallenged that could be misconstrued as an unofficial endorsement of his council’s policies and performance over the last three years, stripping voters of their rightful ability to make that verdict. By cutting short the dialogue with voters, acclamation most certainly would have resulted in a poor turnout at the polls.
St. Albert has far too many issues that deserve the full attention of candidates and voters, many of which reflect on the current council’s track record. The downtown area redevelopment plan (DARP) offers a bold new vision to reinvigorate the area around city hall, but raises many more questions about the future. The current council could approve the long-range plan before Oct. 18, but it won’t end there. Decisions need to be made on issues like whether new structures should be built to address lack of downtown parking. The branch library debate has been on the back burner for a few years, but is perhaps overdue, as is the prospect of a new visual arts centre, seniors’ centre, zoning changes and road reconfigurations.
This council inherited a much larger St. Albert than its predecessors thanks to the 2007 annexation. The current council has approved the first stage of residential construction, but few others are on the horizon despite great pains at working out a servicing deal with northeast landowners that, for the most part, didn’t happen. That’s held up the many commercial developers said to be interested in the north. Parallel to that is a council-driven industrial park idea that fizzled on the first try, before being sent back to the drawing board. Too many months seem to pass between decisions and candidates have to articulate what more can be done to lessen the property tax load from homeowners.
Every election brings plenty of motherhood and apple pie statements about affordable housing, but this one could actually yield an overdue discussion as to where residents and candidates actually stand on the issue. That discussion was kicked off with the now infamous Perry letter in the spring and will likely continue with 70 Arlington Dr. as the main battleground after Oct. 18. Provincial dollars have yielded some progress on this front, but just how far council and citizens are willing to go — and where — requires a wider, sober debate.
Is this the year council takes the initiative on the declining state of the Sturgeon River? The current group has initiated a study into the state of the river and valley, but it won’t be done for a year. Organics recycling could be another green issue to watch given it’s up for debate this fall. While most residents concede the need for recycling, the new plan isn’t cheap and would penalize conscientious households who already recycle and compost their kitchen waste.
The issues, of course, do not end there and many more will be discussed in these pages in the coming weeks and months. It’s the type of dialogue that requires many more questions from St. Albert residents, and even more answers from council and mayoral candidates.
