Incumbent Lacombe County councillor Dana Kreil (Division 7) is seeking re-election in this fall’s municipal election.
First elected in 2010, Kreil is excited to be meeting with local constituents and supporters as the October election date approaches. Her quote on the Lacombe Country web site reads, “Facing the challenge of growth head-on with good planning and public input, while maintaining our agricultural roots.
Kreil has been on County council for two terms, she said, noting that she first got involved in municipal politics via sitting on the subdivision development and appeals board.
That’s really the period of time when an interest in exploring what serving on council would be like was sparked.
“I had sat on that for 12 years for the County, and during that time I learned a lot about and gained a lot of interest in how things run,” she explained. Community involvement and engagement also fueled her passion for pursuing a seat on council as well.
“My husband and I were also involved in our local ag society in our community, and I care about our community, too,” she said.
Kreil said that among the many highlights that she has found really fulfilling are the rewriting the municipal development plan, for example.
“It was so enjoyable to engage the public, to capture their vision and to be part of that planning for the future of Lacombe County,” she said.
“Number one, it’s been about building relationships with our citizens - getting to know the people.”
Also, seeing new infrastructure projects spring up and come to fruition around the County has also been rewarding to see, she said.
Meanwhile, Kreil said an issue these days has been keeping up with repairing soft spots on County roads. In a busy County, this can cause additional headaches for residents and those in the ag industry as well.
“There are some tough roads to drive on, so that’s been a challenge for us as councillors but also for our operations department to deal with and for our citizens to have to live with,” she said.
Looking ahead to the coming weeks as the campaign really heats up, Kreil said she is looking forward to engaging with constituents and hearing what is on their minds. Direct contact is the key to really learning about what’s on people’s minds, she said.
“I really enjoy going door to door. In fact, last time I didn’t have an opponent but I still went around and I really enjoyed doing that and interacting with people.
“I enjoy connecting with my ratepayers and being able to listen to their comments and answer their questions and hopefully help them,” she said.
“Being able to solve problems and make changes when necessary,” are also the key components to serving on County council that keep her enthusiastic to maintain her role in municipal politics as well.
Another plus has been positive partnerships with surrounding communities that are beneficial to all involved.
“Lacombe County also has good relationships with its fellow municipalities. At the beginning of each term, we try to meet with each of them and talk about the common things, and learn about each other’s situations.”
Looking ahead, Kreil said her vision includes continuing to build a healthy agricultural industry, a growing population and industry at Joffre and in our industrial parks continuing to prosper.”