Airdrie resident Mark Steffler is hoping his civil engineering background will provide him the know-how to make a difference on City council.
Steffler, an Airdrie resident for 21 years, has officially registered as the second candidate for the upcoming municipal election on Oct. 18. He follows in the footsteps of Reggie Lang, who is the only other candidate registered for the election currently.
“I’ve always said one of the greatest things you can do for your community is to get involved with your community and be a leader in your community,” said Steffler, of his motivation to run for public office.
While Steffler is new to politics, he is no stranger to municipalities. A civil engineer for 37 years, he said he has worked with and for various municipal governments throughout his career.
He started his engineering career with the City of Fort Saskatchewan, before moving to B.C. and working for the Town of Salmon Arm. After returning to Alberta in 2000, he said he started working for a private civil engineering firm in Calgary and worked there for 17 years, looking after the company’s municipal capital projects department.
“In that time, I’ve worked with, I couldn’t even count how many municipalities I’ve worked with throughout southern Alberta – towns like Crossfield, Beiseker, Drumheller, Hanna, those types of places,” he said.
In addition to his engineering career, Steffler has also sat on he City of Airdrie’s Municipal Planning Commission for seven years. He said the commission has given him a first-hand look at the City’s future plans and projects.
“I see a lot of the developments going on in the town, the area structure plans that are being done, the land-use bylaw and the policies and procedures the City has,” he said. “It’s been quite an enjoyable time on that board.”
Steffler’s other volunteer roles have included involvement with the parish council for St. Paul’s Church and the Airdrie Knights of Columbus, as well as a position on SAIT’s civil engineering program’s academic advisory board.
Other than his engineering background, he said some of his personal qualities would also make him a suitable councillor.
“People tell me I’m a really good listener,” he said. “I think one of the biggest things you can do now is have respect for the conversation.”
His campaign focuses on four platform points – community engagement, senior care, Airdrie’s downtown revitalization and asset management.
“Community engagement is a matter of listening to people, hearing everyone’s point of view and then making the best decision for what’s in the best interest of the community,” he said.
The second platform point – senior care – stems from his parents’ recent move to Calgary after selling their Airdrie home. According to Steffler, his parents’ relocation highlighted Airdrie’s lack of senior housing options.
“I think we need more housing options for our seniors and people who are aging, so they can transition in the community,” he said.
As for the City’s downtown revitalization, Steffler said he thinks the municipality has done a good job in developing a long-term plan for the future of Airdrie’s downtown core. He said he envisions a downtown Airdrie that boasts multi-use developments with residential and commercial properties – he used 10th Street in Calgary’s Kensington neighbourhood as an example of what Airdrie’s downtown could eventually be modeled after.
Steffler’s fourth point pertains to the future of the City’s infrastructure, including water, sewer, roads and transportation. He said he’d like to help develop an asset management plan to plan for Airdrie’s inevitable continued growth and the future replacement of infrastructure.
Scott Strasser, AirdrieToday.com
Follow me on Twitter @scottstrasser19
