Airdrie is better off since I left the PC party

Dear Editor, I want to congratulate former Mayor Linda Bruce and current Alderman Kelly Hegg for putting their names forward for the PC nomination. It takes courage to step forward into what promises to be a competitive race, and for that they have my utmost respect.

However, elections are about ideas and separating fact from fairy tale - and I noticed quite a few myths in both of these individual’s announcements to the media.

First off, I find it just a tad presumptuous to say that electing a PC MLA means electing someone back to the governing party. Although the PCs received a bit of a media bump from their leadership race, they have fallen from roughly 56 per cent support three months ago to 38 per cent in the most recent poll. The Wildrose is again approaching 30 per cent, and that was before talk of Redford raising taxes and passing the exceptionally unpopular .05 drinking law. If what I’m hearing at the doors in Airdrie is any indication of what is happening around the province, the PCs will be very lucky if they are able to cling to power for one more term. If “having someone in government” is the driving force behind one’s vote (not that it ever should be), voting for a PC candidate in the next election may have the opposite effect!

However, let’s assume for argument’s sake the PCs do retain power. Bruce and Alderman Hegg say that one of their biggest reasons for running is to restore Airdrie’s voice in government as Airdrie has been shortchanged by not having a PC MLA over the last two years and that Airdrie needs to be “at the table” in order to get what we need for our community. They also claim great success in lobbying the government for our City during their time on council and while we still had a PC MLA.

There are two things very wrong with the above statements.

First off, if it is true that in order to get what our community needs, we must elect a government-party MLA, this would be political corruption and extortion of the highest kind, and I am surprised and disappointed that the former mayor and current alderman would seemingly endorse such behaviour.

I would hope they might run on trying to change that culture from within, rather than becoming part of it.

The second problem with the claim that Airdrie has been hurt by not having a PC MLA over the past two years is that it is factually incorrect and thankfully so; although this has much more to do with intense political pressure rather than PC party goodwill.

Here are the facts: From 2000 to 2010, Airdrie doubled in size, more than doubled in student population and saw only one public school and one Catholic school built for our students. Throughout that time we had a PC MLA, Linda Bruce on city council (most of the time as mayor), and Alderman Hegg on council as well. So, 20,000 new people and two new schools. One might ask why the PC MLA and former mayor were unable to lobby the government for the schools we so desperately and obviously needed.

From 2010-2011, with a Wildrose MLA working cooperatively with parents, school councils, community leaders and the new mayor to aggressively and vocally advocate for new schools, Airdrie had three new schools announced (more than any community in the province). So, two years with a Wildrose MLA, three schools. The results on who has been most effective advocating for new schools is quite clear indeed.

Having the ability to speak out strongly for my constituents since leaving the PCs has benefited our community and our province in many ways. Whether I am in government or in opposition, I will continue to stand up for Airdrie and Alberta without apology.

Rob Anderson, Airdrie-Chestermere MLA