News of former Alberta premier Ralph Klein's death on March 29 is evoking memories of a man who had the ability to relate to everyone around him.
Olds mayor Judy Dahl said while his affiliation with Olds College is probably his biggest connection to Olds, she had more personal links to Klein.
Dahl's father was a business owner in Calgary and knew him well.
“We knew him on both sides. We knew him on the personal family side as well as with my mayor's hat. He was always involved in every part from culture to business. He just wanted to hear everybody's story and that's what I really loved about Ralph Klein. He was always willing to sit down and hear what you had (to say). He was engaged that way and I really appreciated that about him because that's what we need to be in this type of work,” she said.
On the political side, although Klein was known for his hawkish fiscal conservatism, Dahl said he was always willing to hear all ideas.
“He had the ability to openly talk to all mayors,” she said, noting he was always eager to hear new ideas and “think outside the box.”
“In turn, the community benefits with those kinds of decisions,” she said.
Dahl said Klein was always open to working with the Canadian Federation of Municipalities and the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association on building sustainable communities.
“In my opinion, he was an advocate for sustainable growth. That's quite obvious with the cutbacks that he made. He did it his way,” she said.
Jordan Cleland, vice-president of advancement at Olds College, said Klein was a great proponent of the types of short one- and two-year practical programs the college offers. He attended two college galas and was the keynote speaker in 2010.
“Ralph Klein was a great friend of Olds College and the community of Olds. Without his vision and the Government of Alberta's vision, we wouldn't have $70-million worth of facilities in the Community Learning Campus. That was a very uncommon model that the Klein government took a leap of faith on,” he said, adding that Klein and the college shared the underdog status.
Former Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills MLA Richard Marz, a former caucus-mate of Klein's, said he had a heavy heart after learning of his former colleague's passing.
“I'm saddened … by his passing and I'm sure most Albertans are. I think most Albertans felt they were part of Ralph's team,” he said.
Marz recently put up an old campaign sign on his property near Three Hills from 1997 that read “‘You and Ralph's team. Building Alberta together.' That's typical Ralph, putting the public first and I think he felt that Albertans were also part of Ralph's team. I sure miss him,” he said.
Marz said Klein's success could be boiled down to the fact that he could relate to people in boots and jeans or other politicians in suits.
“He made them feel comfortable with him, and I think that was his secret. He was certainly one of a kind,” he said.
When Klein came to power, Alberta was suffering under debt and deficit, and he was able to rein in spending despite protests from critics. He was also a trailblazer in that regard, with other politicians later pushing that agenda. Marz said that agenda resonated with many ordinary Albertans.
“He took over the province in a time where fiscally, (it was) probably one of the most challenging times in our history … and he was able to get people to buy into the solution and we're all a lot better off for that today,” he said.
In December 2006, Olds College created the Ralph Klein Leadership Award, three months after Klein stepped down as premier. In January 2010, the new multi-use facility at Olds College was named in Klein's honour.
