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Lacombe mayor Steve Christie will not seek third term

Steve Christie’s second term as mayor of Lacombe will be his last.
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Lacombe Mayor Steve Christie has announced he will not seek a third term in this fall’s municipal elections.

Steve Christie’s second term as mayor of Lacombe will be his last.

Tuesday night, at city council, the 51-year-old announced he would not seek a third term as mayor. He has spent 13 years on city council, seven of those as mayor.

“I wanted to finish with the same passion I started with,” Christie said. “We can become complacent with our position and I didn’t want to do that.”

Christie said he never wanted to get complacent as a mayor and felt it was a good time to leave.

“You set goals when you enter into politics,” said Christie. “Some terms I set with my family was that I would leave on my own terms. I wouldn’t overstay my welcome and I would leave when things are good.

“Things are good in Lacombe right now.”

He pointed 2016 being the best commercial building permit year ever in Lacombe, consistent steady growth over the last 20 years of two to 2.5 per cent, building recreation facilities and maintaining and rebuilding underground infrastructure. During his tenure, Lacombe became a city.

First elected in 2004, he served two terms as a city councillor before running for mayor. In 2010, he beat out Bill McQuesten by about 600 votes. In 2010, he sought reelection and won by less than 100 votes over former Lacombe councillor Grant Creasey.

Christie also ran for MLA in the Lacombe-Ponoka riding in 2012 as a member of the Progressive Conservative party. He lost to Wildrose candidate Rod Fox by about 1,200 votes.

After 13 years, Christie will remember all of the city staff he has worked with over the years. Those people, he said, rarely get the recognition for their hard work.

“The mayor sometimes gets the accolades for all the work that is done by everyone else,” said Christie. “I try to pass it on as much as I can and I hope did.”

Early in his mayor-ship, Christie had to deal with flooding in the city. He recalled a public meeting with about 30 very angry people.

“They had the right to be angry,” he said. “With their information we came up with a fix for the problem. Without them coming forward and giving us the information we wouldn’t have been able to fix it. It was a win-win.”

And now, Christie said he will have to look for a job.

The next general municipal elections in Alberta are scheduled for Oct. 16.

mcrawford@reddeeradvocate.com