After serving four years as a city councillor, Michelle Young believes now is the right time to take the level of service she serves the community to the next level, by running for Mayor of Chestermere.
Young has put together a five-point action plan that she is focused on, including keeping competitive property tax and utility rates, responsible development with commercial expansion, senior and youth strategic programming and more schools, more recreation and no rezoning of existing recreation lands, and improved diversity and inclusion.
“I want to create a task force made of council and members of the public so we can hear different cultures and orientations, to find what’s missing and fill the gaps in the community,” Young said.
For Young, communication and transparency are key to a trusted relationship between residents, city council, and administration.
“Keeping responsible spending in mind with all decisions and ensuring that the tough questions are asked. Growth is key to a sustainable community. However, responsible development is critical, and keeping a just because you can doesn’t mean you should mindset. My focus is to make certain that Chestermere is an inclusive, viable, and safe place to live, work, and play,” Young said.
Throughout her campaign, Young has heard overlapping concerns regarding commercial development and aging in place for seniors.
“We’ve made forward motion now that we have LakeShore Manor, we’ve had the work being done by the seniors task force and seniors advisory committee which identified a lot of gaps and now we’re getting to the work of it,” Young said.
Young wants to increase commercial development within the community, to keep people moving to Chestermere, finding employment, and diversifying the tax base.
“We’re on such a good trajectory, with no utility rate increases, no property rate increases that make Chestermere a viable place where people want to live,” she said.
In addition to diversifying the tax base, Young is also passionate about ensuring Chestermere is a diverse, inclusive, and healthy community.
“Everybody should be able to know that they can call Chestermere home, and be safe here, and be themselves here,” Young said.
Throughout the last municipal election, Young heard that Chestermere residents don’t like campaign signs.
“I did a personal donation to the food bank in lieu of spending money on signs. We wanted to give back to an entity that takes care of the most vulnerable of our population,” Young said.
Adding, “I love this city, I give back here, I run a business here, and all of that with my experience in council is definitely why I feel best suited for the role and I’m looking forward to seeing how the coming weeks play out.”
