OLDS — Judy Dahl, who’s now back as mayor after a four-year absence, says she has no specific priorities as the new council term begins.
But she does have research -- and ideas.
“I didn’t go into this with any priorities. My priority was just to listen to everything that people had to tell me,” she said during an interview.
Dahl and six councillors were sworn into office during council’s Oct. 25 meeting.
“I’ve got a file folder full of conversations I’ve had with people in different areas and I want to sit with the council – as we always do – after election, and we all talk about what our commonalities are and add to the table and go from there,” Dahl said.
She said a key goal will also be for council to talk to administrative staff and get their input, because some ideas councillors have may already have been discussed or implemented.
Dahl is pleased with the makeup of the new council, noting it consists of four men: Darren Wilson, Daniel Daley, James Cummings and Harvey Walsh; along with three women: Dahl and incumbent councillors Wanda Blatz and Heather Ryan, who are both beginning their second terms on council.
“It gives for a good debate," Dahl said. “I look forward to working with this council, for sure.”
Three members of the new council -- Wilson, Daley, and Cummings – have never sat on council before.
Walsh has.
In fact, Walsh sat on council for five terms -- a span of 16 years -- until he lost a bid for a seat during the 2017 election.
Dahl noted that Daley previously sat on the board of Olds College. As a result, she said, he may find council procedure somewhat similar.
Dahl said she did hear concerns about the future of O-NET, the community-run internet, telephone and TV service which has now been rolled into a municipally-owned corporation (MCC).
She also heard concerns during the campaign about the town implementing provincially-mandated COVID-19 restrictions.
But she does not believe either issue was a big factor in her election.
Dahl said one concern she heard and will likely bring up with council is a feeling among some residents that there aren’t enough athletic fields for youth, especially for football.
According to unofficial results, during the Oct. 18 municipal election, Dahl defeated incumbent mayor Michael Muzychka by 222 votes: 1,268 to 1,046.
Dahl served as mayor for 13 years before withdrawing nomination papers in the 2017 election. That enabled Muzychka to become mayor at that time by acclamation.
Dahl said she felt “very privileged and honoured” to be elected mayor once more.
“I wish Judy all the best luck. It’s going to be a tough sled going forward, but I wish her the best,” Muzychka said, adding the community is sharply divided in the wake of the COVID restrictions and controversy over O-NET and the resulting MCC.
Muzychka was asked what he plans to do now.
He said he'll likely go back to running an accounting business he operated before the 2017 election.
"I’ll just start it back up and away we go,” he said.
