Three town councillors call it quits

INNISFAIL – Three incumbent Innisfail town councillors have announced they won't be seeking re-election this fall.

Councillors Heather Taylor, Patt Churchill and Mark Kemball will not be on the ballot come Oct. 18. Taylor and Churchill announced their decisions at the candidate information session held Sept. 6.

Councillors Doug Bos and Gavin Bates plan to run again. Councillor Danny Rieberger said Monday (Sept. 11) he has not yet made up his mind but is “leaning” towards running.

Mayor Brian Spiller praised his departing colleagues. Spiller is running for re-election as mayor.

“Both (Kemball and Taylor) are very professional councillors and bring a myriad of ideas to the table,” Spiller said. He's served with Taylor and Kemball for the last seven years.

He's only served with Churchill for the past four years, but said the experienced councillor -- she has served five terms in Innisfail, and two terms in Bowden -- will also be missed.

“She's a very knowledgeable lady,” Spiller said.

Former mayor Jim Romane, who defeated Churchill in a close mayoralty race in 2010, praised the long-serving councillor following her announcement.

"There was never a more dedicated councillor than Patt Churchill. She always did her homework and served her community well," said Romane, who is once again seeking the mayor's chair. "I wish her all the best in her retirement."

Taylor enjoyed her two terms on council, and said the decision to not run is bittersweet. She said she realized that they wanted some time to do more travelling, and that's hard to do with a councillor's schedule.

“It was like having a family, another family,” she said of her council colleagues.

Churchill has clocked seven terms between two communities.

“It's time to move on and let someone else run,” she said.

She had words of wisdom for candidates seeking a seat in October. Have courage, she said. You'll probably face controversy at some point.

“It's not for the faint of heart,” she said. Churchill said to have respect for your colleagues, and be ready to compromise and support the consensus decision.

It does take time, but it's not a full-time job, she said. When she first ran, she was 26 years old and a single mother. “It's for everyone. You don't need to be retired,” she said.

Kemball has opted to not run because he's been elected to a Dairy Queen franchisee association board -- he owns the Innisfail Dairy Queen -- and thinks the board position will take up quite a bit of time over the next couple of years.

“I didn't want to spread myself too thin,” he said. He said he's enjoyed his time on council and learned a lot.

But the two-term councillor hasn't ruled out a return to municipal politics at a later date.

“I really think I'm not done with municipal politics yet,” Kemball said.

His advice to those seeking election is to be prepared for the time commitment and to work together.

“You can't come in with an axe to grind, it really is a team effort,” Kemball said.

Churchill and Taylor were part of a panel of past and retiring council members that offered insight to the job for prospective candidates.

Town manager Todd Becker said about 13 attended the session. For those thinking about a run who missed the session, the town website has the full nomination package along with other information.

Becker also encourages potential candidates to check out the provincial government's Municipal Affairs website.

“We encourage those running for the first time to find a mentor,” he said, noting those mentors can help a candidate understand what it's really like to be a municipal councillor.