Marshall Chalmers thinks he has what it takes to be Chestermere’s next Mayor.
“I think I’ve got the experience and leadership to maybe help Chestermere move forward,” said Marshall Chalmers.
To prove this to the electorate, Chalmers has committed to knock on every single door in the city.
“It is important to me to look people in the eye, to listen to them, to understand the minds and the hearts of the people,” said Chalmers.
As of Aug. 11, Chalmers had knocked on 2,000 of the more than 6,000 homes estimated by the campaign to be in Chestermere.
He said that in talking to residents there have been some common themes.
“People are ready for positive change, for a mayor and council that involve the people in the process,” said Chalmers.
He points to his track record as Mayor of Camrose for why he is the candidate who can accomplish this.
While Chalmers has only recently moved to the city, so that he and his wife can be closer to their family here, he has been a frequent visitor to Chestermere spending time visiting his Grandchildren and getting to know the community over the last several years.
A former one-term Mayor of Camrose, Chalmers was forced for health reasons not to run for a second term there.
With the move to Chestermere and his health concerns gone, Chalmers said he has been feeling the desire to return to public life.
With the Mayor’s chair being up for grabs in the next election he has decided that now is the time to come back to public service.
In addition to his experience as Mayor of Camrose from 2010-2013, Chalmers worked as a police officer in Camrose for 31 years, becoming Chief of Police in 1999, a position he held until his retirement in 2007.
He has also worked as a consultant with the Native Counselling Services of Alberta. He has also owned his own small business.
Chalmers and his wife decided that with their children and Grandchildren living in the region it was time to stop visiting the city, instead they decided to move here in early 2017.
On their frequent visits, as a former Mayor, Chalmers to an interest in the local politics.
“We’ve spent considerable time here,” he said, “I’ve been watching the municipal politics with interest, just because that was my life.”
In his opinion, the two greatest challenges for the new Mayor and council after the election will be to attract businesses to the city to ease the residential tax burden and to heal the rifts in the community caused by the recent controversies surrounding Chestermere Utilities Inc.
“There’s some different challenges,” he said, “but every challenge just needs some…common sense, leadership and experience.”
As relatively new resident to the city, Chalmers believes this to be to his advantage, letting him see the challenges the city faces from a fresh perspective free from any longstanding biases.
“Everybody that I’ve talked to agrees that a fresh set of eyes is exactly what this community needs,” he said.
It’s for this reason that he chose to announce as the first mayoral candidate in May.
“I want the people to know me,” said Chalmers.
This commitment has earned Chalmers the support of former Chestermere-Rocky View MLA Bruce McAllister.
McAllister is working as Chalmers’ campaign manager and believes that the new city council will need someone with experience on it.
“The reality is…we’re going to have a new council, we’re going to have a new mayor,” said McAllister, “we need some experience and we need some leadership.”
For more information on Chalmers go to http://electmarshall.ca or go to http://chestermere.ca/795/2017-Election-Candidates for contact and information on the other mayor and council candidates registered with the city.
