Division 3 in Rocky View County now has a candidate for the fall’s election.
Jay Sarhan, 42, is the first candidate to announce his intention to run in the division, which is currently governed by retiring Councillor Gordon Branson.
Sarhan, who holds a degree in economics and business and has experience in senior level management, human resources and finance, has lived in Elbow River Estates for one year.
He first got the idea to run after speaking with Branson on several occasions.
“It is a very challenging job because the area has experienced huge growth in the last decade,” said Sarhan.
“He thinks I am a good fit for the job. I thought, ‘why don’t I try it?’”
A key issue for the father of two is striking the balance between preserving quality of life for area residents and the inevitable growth in the area.
“The area is very sensitive in regards to development,” said Sarhan.
He said he expects inter municipal cooperation with neighbouring municipalities, such as Calgary and the Tsuu T’sina nation, to become more of an issue in the future.
He also foresees increased cooperation between Calgary and Rocky View County in terms of water and wastewater servicing.
“It is going to come into place as time progresses and as development progresses,” said Sarhan.
“We need to manage it and make sure everything comes into proper place when the time comes. I believe I will be a good manager.”
Sarhan said Division 3 is also environmentally sensitive, as the Elbow River, Calgary’s source of fresh water, runs through it.
“The area is a very nice area, and with cooperation of the residents we need to take care of it,” said Sarhan, who has lived in the Calgary area since 1981.
“(We need to) continue with the preservation of the area, parallel to development.”
Sarhan doesn’t take the job lightly, saying he expects it to be “challenging.”
His plan is to build on council’s previous work and to garner input from residents, neighbours and developers to help him make decisions that everyone can be happy with.
“It (requires) a mixture of inputs to try to come up with the best outcome for everyone, for the residents, first and foremost, but also the developers and our neighbours,” said Sarhan.
