Dealing with crime and getting to know the new council and city staff are a few priorities for Red Deer city council candidates.
With election day about a week away, we asked council candidates their first order of business — should they be elected.
Candidate Bobbi McCoy said dealing with crime tops her priority list. She said she would like to look into law enforcement resources and extra policing.
“Or come up with a different [police] force altogether because crime has gotten a little out of hand,” said McCoy.
The 58-year-old candidate said dealing with crime means dealing with issues such as drug abuse, domestic violence and homelessness because they go hand-in-hand.
Candidate Cory Kingsfield echoed McCoy’s first priority. If elected, he would look into city’s spending right away and see where resources could be allocated to reduce crime. He said crime is a major concern for Red Deerians.
“That’s what we have heard from our citizens,” he said.
The first order of business for incumbent Lynne Mulder is to compare notes with the new council and prioritize needs, if she is re-elected.
Mulder would like to know what the new council has heard from the public during the campaign season. The 70-year-old candidate said prioritizing issues would help councillors come up with a strategic plan.
“That way we can let people know they were heard,” she said.
While Mulder wants to sit down with fellow councillors, candidate Jeremy Moore would like to sit down with community groups. If elected, he would like to meet with various community organizations and city administration, first and foremost, he said.
“Because those are the people I will be working with, for the next four years,” said Moore.
The 40-year-old candidate said it’s important to him to establish a working relationship with the community right away.
If elected, youth engagement would be a priority for 18-year-old candidate Ian Miller.
He would like to see the new council work together with the youth in the community and deal with issues like crime and drug abuse.
If elected, he would like to see youth engagement within the community.
“Because youth involvement is declining and our youth community is growing,” said Miller.
mamta.lulla@reddeeradvocate.com
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