Wildrose candidate Bruce Rowe officially opened his office in Olds last Saturday.
More than 100 people from across the constituency stopped in during the afternoon to chat with Rowe and to eat free hamburgers at the office, located at 5018 46 Street.
Rowe said that the lack of strong opposition to the Progressive Conservatives has made the party's sense of entitlement grow.
“The PCs don't govern, they rule. There's a difference. When you govern, there is true consultation with the people that put you there,” he said.
“When you rule, you make the decisions and everybody has to live with them.”
Rowe believes that this year's election is going to be different.
“We now have a viable conservative alternative,” he said.
“The PCs used to look at us in the rearview mirror. Now, they're looking out the side window at us.”
Rowe intends to make the Olds overpass one of his campaign priorities.
“That is a dangerous intersection, there is no question. It doesn't need a whole new interchange, I don't think,” he said.
“It just needs some modifications done to make it safer for getting on and off Highway 2.”
Like other Wildrose candidates, Rowe will also campaign against Bills 50, 19 and 36.
“Wildrose commits to repealing all of those bills right off the bat,” he said.
Rowe says that unlike the Progressive Conservatives, Wildrose can bring true representation.
“What attracted me to Wildrose to start with was that I have the right to vote the way my constituency wants me to vote,” he said.
“I can take their issues to the caucus, to the cabinet, to the Legislature, and vote the way my constituents want to vote.”
When asked about his opponents, Rowe said he would not campaign against them.
“I made up my mind when I accepted this nomination that I was not going to get into dirty politics,” he said.
“I am not going to denigrate anybody's good name.”
Rowe is actively looking for donations and volunteers to staff the office.
“We don't have a whole ton of money. We are operating basically on a shoestring,” he said.
“We don't have the kind of money that the opposition does to pay people to sit here. Whatever people can give of their time, then we will have them here.”
Meanwhile, Progressive Conservative candidate Darcy Davis will officially open his Olds office this Saturday.
