Third councillor announces plans to seek re-election

Coun. Debbie Bennett is now the third sitting councillor to put her name forward for re-election in the Oct. 16 municipal election.

Bennett will be looking for a third term this fall and said she was running because there are still things that she would like to accomplish.

"I think there's still much to be done as far as bringing in light industrial, there are sports fields to be developed further, and making sure that we're a place where people want to come and flourish," said Bennett, who came to Olds in 2001.

"We are a pretty cohesive group right now," she said. "That doesn't mean we agree on everything, but we come to agreement and that allows us to be innovative and forward-thinking."

"If the council isn't forward-thinking, I don't think administration can back up anything," she said, crediting both sides for working in conjunction to make things happen.

"I think we have a great administration, and staff who are happy doing their jobs, and happy to make Olds better," she said.

Bennett said she thought the current council has done a good job at developing infrastructure in town, working with volunteers and making sure the public's voice is heard.

"Everyone has good ideas," she said. "The seven of us can't have all the ideas in the world, so we're here at the behest of those who vote us in, so that's whose voices we must listen to, and are happy to listen to, frankly."

Additionally, she thinks things have increasingly improved over the years, both for the town and what it offers, as well as in terms of how the council manages operations.

"I think every year, the town has gotten better," she said. "We've not stepped backward yet, I don't think. I think we are very good at going forward."

Bennett says that's where the current council's strength – and her own – lies: in "future-proofing."

"I think my vision is for now, but also for three, five, 10 years out," she said. "I know I bring it to all age groups, because they are all important to me, especially as I age through that loop."

"My voice brings all ages, I think, together," she said.

"If seniors (are) going to be higher in numbers demographically, we have to be ready for that, with programming, services that are available in our own community."

But she also says it's important to give young people a reason to come back.

"We don't ever want to be a town that only becomes seniors and less viable to families," she said, adding that the hope would be that young people who grow up here and leave for university would want to return afterward.

Bennett said she originally ran for a three-year council position in 2009 after serving as chair of Communities in Bloom, in addition to volunteering on the municipal planning commission, and having worked together with council and administration.

"They were very receptive to volunteers and hearing volunteers' ideas," she said. "Without volunteers I don't think much happens in this town."

"I came in with wanting to be so proud of where I lived," she added. "Small towns can be fabulous."

In terms of change, Bennett said she would like to see increased collaboration between local service groups and town staff, as well as within the region, partnering more with the county.

"That allows us to bring in even more services to our area, because there's more money and there's a bigger voice to get ministers to listen," she said. "I think all of those working in conjunction makes everything a bit better."

Throughout her two terms, Bennett said that she enjoys taking on responsibility, acknowledging when things may not have been done well, and working through those challenges. She said she is driven by always wanting to do "one better."

"My mother used to say 'Always make sure you leave wherever you've been better than you found it,'" she said.