Canmore town councillors Jim Ridley and Gordie Miskow have decided to not return to politics in the upcoming fall municipal election.
Miskow was elected in 2010 for the first time and the long-time local resident said in an official written statement he does not intend to run again.
“After careful consideration and thought, I have decided not to seek re-election; it has been an honour and privilege to serve the residents of Canmore and work with our neighbouring municipalities,” Miskow said. “It also has been a great experience and I am humbled to have the support of so many over the past three years within the community.
“I personally want to thank those who helped me get elected and of course voted for me. I have no further comment on this at this time.”
Ridley has spent two and a half terms on council, having been originally elected during a byelection in 2006, and said he is happy with the time he spent as an elected official, “but it is time for some new blood and some fresh ideas.
“I think some of the enthusiasm that people come into the job with and vision for what they think might be able to happen gets kind of worn away with time and as well as that there have been some great successes with things that have been accomplished by this and former councils I have been a part of such as Elevation Place and the Roam transit,” he said.
“(Transit) was a platform item of mine from day one and so you know those are two really well received and established programs and I am really happy to be part of that and I am sure things will move forward on both fronts, with programming at Elevation Place and perhaps even some public transit in Canmore down the road.
“There has never been a down period or downside for me, there are a lot of people out there in the community that have great ideas and different ideas and if they are willing to put a schwack of energy into it, I am sure some of their successes will be recognized or acknowledged as well.”
Ridley said looking forward to the next council’s term that planning issues in terms of community development near mountain creeks in the wake of June flooding is going to be a significant issue. He pointed to the 18 acres of lands acquired in 2008 adjacent to the Trans-Canada Highway and the Palliser development as one example.
Ridley said it is unclear if the municipality will be able to develop those lands, slated for community housing, as a result of flooding on Stoneworks Creek.
He also said being at the forefront environmentally is going to take time and energy from council to achieve.
“If our strategic plan said we are going to be a leader, what exactly does that mean in terms of implementation – those are going to be some interesting questions,” he said. “I am really happy to work with the folks I have been working with right from day one and we have an exemplary administration in my view.
“We have gone through a bit of a tumultuous period there with senior administration over the past few years, but it is rock solid in terms of what I see and I think we can all be proud to have that group backing council and helping the community achieve what it wants to achieve.”
