I've Lived It...

A New Day For Alberta

We are in a new era, and we need a new leadership and governance model.  Albertans are educated, connected and want to be involved ... not shut out. 

The Alberta Party is grounded in the values of true democracy, engagement and transparency ... where our elected officials, including the leader, are accessible, respectful of opinion, and collaborative in solutions. 

The Alberta Party has become a movement across the province – a collection of people who care deeply about Alberta, and who deeply want to be a part of building Alberta.  That’s what sparked our “Big Listen” that has been going around from community to community, embracing ideas from every place, everyone and every age.  The people we’ve been meeting feel a part of it for the first time or for the first time in a long time ... they’ve been asked what they think ... what they believe ... and what they expect.  So simple, but so profound. 

Leadership Style

I’ve had the privilege of serving this province in many capacities over the last decade ... as the Mayor of Hinton, as the Chair of the Rural Alberta Development Fund, as a board member of AUMA ... and my leadership style is what Albertans tell me they are looking for:

 

Wisdom: to handle changing circumstances;

Humanity: to understand the needs of all people;

Respect: to attract people of difference but of character;

Integrity: to get done what is promised;

Courage: to ignite morale and commitment; and

Dignity: to ensure pride and confidence.

Experience: to lead having learned by doing.

But most importantly, my leadership style comes from what I learned best from my parents ... hard work every day, resilience in times of trouble, and to try to inspire everyone you meet.

Experience

Many people are asking how we are going to move from our Big Listen to building policy based on what we have heard and then finally acting on it. This is where I think that I have something unique to offer based on my experience serving in leadership positions with the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association, Rural Alberta Development Fund and as Mayor for Hinton.

In each of the organizations that I mention above we build actions based on having first listened to our constituents and then incorporated what we heard into a business plan, built a budget based on that plan and then acted to institute the plan.

With the Rural Alberta Development Fund I chaired a $100 million fund that we designed to listen to Albertans with great ideas, and then work with them to build a plan to implement that idea and finally fund the idea. We’ve had incredible results.

With the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association as a Vice-President I chaired a sub-committee that had the responsibility to listen to over 1300 members and then develop policy based on what we heard so that we could advocate to the Government to effect change on behalf of every urban municipality in Alberta. Most recently we led an initiative to build Community Sustainability Plans for towns and cities. These CSP’s were built by listening to and then acting on the interests of the citizens that lived in the communities that were involved in the planning.

In Hinton, we have been building policy based on listening to our citizens ever since I was elected to office. During our first community consultation about 8 years ago we had about 150 folks out, during our last round of consultation we had over 1800 citizens engage in the process.

I know that the Big Listen will be effective because I’ve lived and worked it for many years. Authenticity in leadership is based on listening, and then acting. And then of course, being accountable for your actions.

I’ve lived it, I’ve been held accountable publicly for my actions, and I know we can do this together at the Provincial level.

Let's Build Our Next Alberta Together

I believe that Alberta should aspire to be the best FOR the world. Not just the best IN the world. With all of our individual and provincial advantages we should have higher expectations of ourselves and greater aspirations for our Alberta   

It’s time for Alberta to be the best for the world in clean energy, and in responsible environmental stewardship, in research and innovation, in public education and in public healthcare.  We have all the tools and talents.  We just need to focus our will as a people and a province to take up these challenges and rise to our potential.

We have a decaying democracy and a flawed governing philosophy in Alberta and it’s time for us to take back the control of our democracy. 

The Alberta Party is a hopeful example of how that is happening now.  Our Party is growing as an influential citizens’ movement as we become a successful new political party. 

The key to this change is the energy and enthusiasm of Alberta Party members.  We have all come together and are taking on personal responsibility to be better informed, more active and more effective in demanding the political and policy changes we want in our Alberta.

I believe that we need to change the nature of political leadership as part of the solution.  We need a governance culture that enables and empowers people to be the best they can be for the benefit of themselves and their families. 

We need a sense of personal citizenship that serves the greater good in our communities and for our province.

Our traditional political parties seem to be tired and weary.  Our government has lost their way and have forgotten who they are supposed to serve. 

Many Albertans that I have chatted with believe that our government has become disconnected from the realities of the ordinary people of Alberta who are striving to prosper while pursuing a satisfying life.

Government should be a place where citizens come together with hope and optimism.  It should not be a way to drive us apart and raise our fears.

The mainstream political parties in Alberta  seldom stop to figure out and reflect on the real questions that we need to be concerned with.   Questions like how can we be assured that we are leaving a legacy to future generations that are better, not worse than what we inherited? 

How do we integrate our economy and environment and do it in a way that serves our society as a whole and not just benefit certain special interests? 

How do we plan for long term goals and move away from a partisan self-serving political culture that thinks and makes policy in four year election cycles?

Be The Change

For far too long, I couldn’t find a political home here in Alberta, a home where my values and beliefs wouldn’t be compromised; a home where my hopes and dreams about what Alberta can and should be would be embraced and realized.  

My search ended whith the emerging Alberta Party and its inclusive, progressive, caring and common sense approach. 

My search for a political home is over, but my journey to be the change I want to see in Alberta has just begun. 

I see I am not alone on this journey.  Everyone I have spoken with as I campaign to be a leader of the Alberta Party is also on a personal journey of learning and leading.  

We are learning how to do politics differently and we are leading change in Alberta by listening to our friends and neighbours.

We are going to raise the level of debate and dialogue in this Province. We are going to talk about ideas, not just ideology. 

We are going to commit to constantly listen and really understand what we are hearing as we continue the spirit of the Big Listen as fundamental to our approach to doing politics differently.

The Alberta Party is not just a promising new political party - It is an emerging and empowering citizen’s movement.  Its values  align with my values.

I have found common purpose with people that have a vision of the role of government that aligns with my vision of responsible, relevant governance with a renewed sense of representative democracy.

I believe that the Alberta Party aligns with the values and sensibilities of the vast majority of Albertans who are moderate, inclusive, and progressive; and who want to be proud of their province once again.  This is what I hear coming from the heads and hearts of Albertans  as I listen to the aims and aspirations of the people I have come to know and respect as fellow travellers in the Alberta Party journey.

Dream Big and Act Boldly 

I yearn for the spirit, the vision, and the daring of the era that attracted me to Alberta.  When the people of this province dreamed big and acted boldly, with a clear vision of the future and our place in it. And I am willing to work hard to bring back that spirit and sense of purpose to our province.

I believe that I have a proven personal record of public service and the leadership qualities that will help the Alberta Party to change the nature of politics and the government of Alberta.

In the end, what I really want to do is to be to be part of the thinking, planning and destiny of a political movement that will make Albertans feel proud to be Albertan again. 

So as I aspire to be worthy of your support to lead the Alberta Party, as together we set out to change our political culture, I ask you what your commitment is to our Alberta and your citizenship duties  

I ask you to continue to take on more responsibility to be part of creating the vision of our Alberta that we can all share and achieve together as the Alberta Party.

Ask yourself what your role is in our shared journey as we go forward and create the Alberta Party and our next Alberta.

As I continue on my journey of building our next Alberta through the Alberta Party I am offering my experience, skills and commitment to serve this party as a leader. 

I say “A” leader not “THE” leader.  That is because if we are going to do politics differently, we have to do leadership differently too.  There is a lot of leadership talent and energy in the Alberta Party already.  There is more to come as we grow our membership and the numbers and strength of our constituencies.  

As a municipal mayor I understand the process of shared leadership and mutual respect for differences of opinion.  I also know there is wisdom in crowds if we are open to listen, explore and share. 

Our party is on a search for more than a new leader.  We want a new kind of leader for Alberta.  It is in that spirit that I ask you support the Alberta Party by supporting me as that new kind of leader.

As I continue on this journey of building our next Alberta – and seek the leadership of our Alberta Party - I hope that you will walk with me, support me, and when needed, vote for me.

A Growing Citizens Movement