Bringing the count up to five, Ray Blanchard threw his hat in the race for Mayor Sept. 15.
Running on a platform of responsible development and finances, Blanchard wants to start a conversation about responsible development in Chestermere.
“I’m pro development, I’m against…large size development going it at a time when you don’t know if you’ll be able to finish them,” he said.
He would like to see both the pace and scale of development in Chestermere slow down.
“I’m against speculation,” he said, “no developer should take on more than he can handle.”
“I would rather see developments that are small that the developer can handle and not run out of money,” he said.
Having lived through the last recession in Alberta, Blanchard is concerned that the city and residents could be getting into a tough spot if the economy doesn’t rebound.
“I lived through the last recession and I know what people are going through this time,” he said.
He saw a lot of people lose their homes during the previous recession in Alberta.
“The only thing saving your houses right now is low interest rates,” he said.
Blanchard said that as Mayor, his priority for the next city council would be to focus on responsible development, and addressing Chestermere’s debt and finances.
He would also like to see council become more active in completing their due diligence.
“My Main concern will be due diligence,” said Blanchard, “that council really reads and gets involved in checking applications for development.”
As part of this increased scrutiny, Blanchard would like to see a review of the building and plumbing codes in Chestermere.
“That’s not going to be expensive I don’t think,” he said, “all that information’s out there it’s just coalescing it…and coming up with a program.”
Although he is coming new to the political scene in Chestermere, Blanchard brings experience working on policy and governance to his campaign.
He worked as the policy chairman for the Calgary East constituency.
“I was the chairman of the Yes Canada campaign when Mulroney had the constitutional vote,” he said.
Blanchard said that if he is elected Mayor he will ensure transparency at city hall.
“What they call transparency I would call responsible government,” he said.
He promises that if elected he will always work hard to ensure that everyone who has a question for council receives and answer.
“They may not like the answer I get them but I would want to get them an answer,” he said.
