MOUNTAIN VIEW COUNTY — Coun. Al Kemmere says he has decided to seek re-election in October after all — in part so he can serve as first vice-president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) if he’s successful in being elected to that post on June 2.
First elected as a Mountain View County (MVC) councillor in 2004, Kemmere had initially announced that he did not plan to seek re-election in the municipality, but has reconsidered and will let his name stand for another term, he said.
“I’m going to have to retract my earlier comments that I made previously (not to run), and to submit to the public that I will be running in Division 7 again,” Kemmere said. “You have to be an elected official in order to carry this roll (as FCM board member).
“My wife and I had a long discussion on it and after exploring the time commitments and the likes of that, we both support the concept of another term. (If re-elected) I will still do my job as councillor as I always have and represent the best interests of Division 7 at the Mountain View County council table.”
Kemmere’s announcement that he will seek another MVC term comes as county council agreed to support him should he be elected to the FCM board.
The association represents more than 2,000 Canadian municipalities, including Mountain View County, as well as 20 provincial and territorial municipal associations. It advocates with the federal government on behalf of its members.
During the recent regularly scheduled council meeting, councillors passed the following motion: “That Mountain View County council commits to funding councillor Al Kemmere’s per diem and all expenses for position of table officer, first vice-president for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities with a budgeted amount of $15,000 to be funded from the tax rate stabilization reserve.”
Councillors also passed a second related motion that council "understand the commitment and support councillor Al Kemmere in his efforts to be elected as a table officer, first vice-president, for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities for the 2021-2022 term.”
As required, Kemmere recused himself from both votes.
Kemmere is a past board member and president of Rural Municipalities of Alberta (RMA).
He has been involved with FCM since 2007, starting at the committee level for seven years, followed by six years as a board member, including three years as chairman of the provincial association presidents committee.
During his time with FCM, Kemmere has served on several committees and forums. Most recently, he was co-vice chairman of the association’s Western Economic Solutions Taskforce.
The FCM executive elections — by delegates — for the 2021-22 term takes place June 2.
Should he be successful in his first vice-president election bid, it could be helpful to MVC and other area municipalities, he said.
“It would benefit in a lot of ways,” he said. “It’s not very often that you end up with someone from a community this size to be the spokesperson for an organization that represents all municipalities in Canada. It will make sure that all voices will be looked at equally.”
Under FCM rules, municipalities are responsible for paying related expenses of elected officials on the association’s board. Should Kemmere be elected first vice-president, the $15,000 approved by council on May 12 would go toward those costs.
“The time spent doing this position is 100 per cent funded by the municipality,” he said. “That’s the way FCM is built, with the councils having to carry the costs.”
Mountain View County Reeve Bruce Beattie said having Kemmere elected to the FCM board would be positive for rural communities.
“He has so much experience, with RMA and on committees with FCM,” said Beattie. “He’s been a real strong voice for rural Alberta and rural Canada. I know Al is a very capable individual and I think he’d do an excellent job at it.”
Should Kemmere be elected to the FCM first vice-president role, the normal progression would be for him to be elected president next year and past president the following year.
If Kemmere is elected to the FCM board June 2 but later fails to be re-elected in Division 7 in October, he would be required to step down since all FCM board members must be elected officials.
