Chamber tackles 5 different elections with 1 forum Tuesday at Tofield

BY KERRY ANDERSON
The Tofield Chamber of Commerce sponsored a candidates forum which drew roughly 80 spectators Tuesday evening at the Tofield Community Hall.

Represented at the meeting were candidates for the election this Monday vying for the positions of: Mayor of Tofield, Beaver County Division 1, 2 and 3 Councillor, plus school trustee for Beaver County West. Though intentions were obviously to serve the needs of all areas close to Tofield, the large number of candidates present ended up with dead zones where they didn’t speak for long periods of time.

Both Tofield mayoral candidates were present, incumbent Nabil Chehayeb and challenger Harold Conquest; as were Division 1 candidates Kevin Smook and Larry Tiedemann; and school trustee incumbent Rebecca Heiberg and challenger Zsuzsanna Hemperger. However, from Division 2 only Sieko Scott was present (Chuck McBurney absent), and Divison 3 Gene Hrabec was in attendance while (incumbent) Ron Yarham, and challenger Charles Magneson were not present.

Chamber President David Williamson introduced the candidates and gave each a few minutes to speak about why they would be the best person for the elected position.

Among the snippets from the speeches were the following:

Mayor Chehayeb (candidate for Tofield Mayor): I want to continue to serve and stay on course with the progress we have been making. I feel proud of myself for doing the best for this town. I feel sad that because Harold and I are both running that the town will lose one good man either way.

Harold Conquest (candidate for Tofield Mayor): I want to increase community trust. Bring back Communities in Bloom. Right now Economic Development is a committee of one, with the mayor doing most of it. I want an EDC with the public involved that can be effective.

Larry Tiedemann (Division 1 candidate): As a former town councillor I have the experience to know how to get things done. Now that I am living in the country I want to put my skills to work for you. I am a good listener and an effective decision-maker. I am in favour of development while saving farmland and the wetlands.

Kevin Smook (Division 1 candidate): I’ve got two ears and only one mouth for a reason. It means I will listen twice as much as I will speak. And I like to speak. I may lack political experience but I have a lot of business experience. As a realtor I too am a negotiator and I feel I am a good negotiator. It also wouldn’t hurt to have a new face and a new angle – a business angle – on things at the county.

Sieko Scott (Division 2 candidate): I wanted to pass on some figures to you since I have been on council. Beaver County gets $1.3 million in taxes out of Division 3, $1.6 million from Division 4, $1.1 million from Division 1, $5.5 million from Division 5 (a lot from oil and gas), and under $1 million from Division 2, my division.

Gene Hrabec (Division 3 candidate): I have reflected on my previous term where we worked together as a council. I have been disheartened by the bickering of our community leaders. I believe the county and the towns and villages have to work together. We need someone to champion this cooperation. I believe I am this person.

Rosanna Heiberg (Beaver West school trustee candidate): I want to keep moving the BRSD forward. I have been your trustee for a long time. I believe in learning to do by doing like 4-H. My kids have developed (many) skills from 4-H using this type of learning.

Zsuzsanna Hemperger (Beaver West school trustee candidate): I am a school council chairperson and on the library board. While dealing with my kids’ education I have found my calling, which is why I want to be your trustee. I am committed to serving all students.

A question and answer period followed with Williamson attempting to keep the questions short and to the point, and control the amount of audience members wanting to voice their opinions. He walked around the hall with a microphone, while the candidates shared several microphones at their tables which stretched across in front of the stage.

An early question referred to the difficulty Tofield has had retaining doctors. The candidates agreed that supplying rural Alberta with doctors is a provincial problem. “Our community needs to step forward and sponsor our kids who want to go to university to become doctors with the agreement that they come back,” said Hrabec. Mayor Chehayeb said two new doctors are coming from out of country in the new year, and they had put away money to hire headhunters to get these doctors. “We could in the future use this money for our local kids (who want to become doctors).

Chehayeb also quashed rumours brought up by the audience. Transfer stations will not be closed. “It was something looked at in the past… “but transfer stations will expand not close.” Another member of the crowd said he heard the town wanted to tax businesses based on revenues rather than what the building is worth. Chehayeb said taxes will be based solely on assessment of the property.

Mayor candidate Conquest was asked what his economic plan is? “My plan is to increase businesses. I have spent 30 years in the education system and six years on BRAED… We have to get people involved rather than to depend on outsiders.” He said the EDC should look to add businesses to compete with the ones we have in some cases. Competition is good. Some businesses we don’t need more. We have to ID what we want.

A number of questions were then directed at the school trustees. On how to improve the education system in rural Alberta, Heiberg said local boards can do things better than the government does. “I am not sure of the reality of that though.” Hemperger added: The school board should lobby the government for more money. “But there’s only so many ways to cut a pie.”

Another question was what the candidates thought of the new marking system. “There are a lot of good things about the new assessment,” said Heiberg. “But we need a different way of assessing children. We have report cards they don’t understand and want.” She added this was not the way to start introducing the new assessment to parents and students.

“I am passionate about this assessment,” said Hemperger. “I collected signatures on this.” She added: My own child brought home a report card which the teacher said my child was excelling, but the mark said achieving. “We need two-way respectful communication. This could be the best thing since sliced bread, but we need our questions to be answered.” Report cards need to be clear for us.

Another member of the spectators said we should be asked questions rather than policy being shoved down our throats. Both candidates agreed that better communication is needed. “We’ve lost communication with the board and the superintendent,” said Hemperger.

Asked about strategic priorities in Division 1 and with Beaver County, candidate Tiedemann said it would be wise to increase partnerships with the towns and villages. “Partnerships help us make more with less.” Candidate Smook said one important step is the new machinery the county has purchased to turn oiled roads into an economical improvement somewhere between paved and oiled which will vastly improve our present roads. He added that BMS could prove to be a great financial opportunity if looked at carefully and responsibly.

Beaver County candidates were asked about the results of the West End Development Plan.

“We did an excellent job on the plan we put together,” said Scott. “Encouraging growth while protecting farmland and the environment.”

Tiedemann said he liked the process and stressed the importance of protecting farmland and wetlands. “I think we should have a higher density within our acreage development areas.”

“(Polulation) density makes it easier for us to have water and better roads,” said Smook. He said he favours controlled and responsible growth but with an ability to maintain the agriculture base east of there.

Other issues brought up by the crowd included: Highway 834 may already be the worst road in the area, and now it is a heavy haul area with no shoulders (Candidates agreed the government needs to continue to be pushed for money to widen the highway. Scott said this has been done in the past, with no results); Tofield Hospital is a first class institution that has deteriorated into almost nothing (everyone agreed that the problem continues to be one of the most crucial to resolve. Chehayeb said a meeting was just had with health officials and community leaders); Our area is under-policed (Scott said a new constable has been hired to improve rural policing); the east end approach to Tofield looks terrible (Conquest said Communities in Bloom could resolve this problem); Roads in the county are poor. Over-gravelled, dust levels too high. Are you happy with the roads? Hrabec said many of the roads were built 50 or 60 years ago, and weren’t meant for today’s larger vehicles or the traffic and many need to be rebuilt.

Candidates gave their closing remarks, thanking everyone for coming and re-enforcing their commitments to the positions they are running for. Mostly though each stated the importance for everyone to get out and vote.