Three people have entered the race to become the new Progressive Conservative candidate for the Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills constituency, which includes the towns of Crossfield, Irricana and Beiseker,
Darcy Davis, Al Kemmere and William Stevenson are all vying for the position, to be determined by card-holding PC members, Nov. 26.
The youngest of the three, William Stevenson, 40, an accountant with a background in business and agriculture, grew up in Airdrie and regularly spent time on his family farm north of Crossfield.
He has been a member of both the provincial and federal PC parties since 1992 and has served in various capacities, including working as MP Blake Richards’ financial agent and serving them on MLAs Carol Haley and Ted Morton’s boards.
The father of two said his experience makes him a good candidate.
“You have got to appeal to everyone,” said Stevenson. “We can no longer have a single-issue MLA. To get anything for your constituency, you have to be able to have a grasp of more than one thing.”
Stevenson is off to a good start, with many federal and provincial connections.
“I have 35 MLAs as Facebook friends,” said Stevenson. “I have already got the networking.”
Stevenson admits that although a number of residents in his constituency support the Wildrose, he is confident that with his conservative outlook, he will stand a good chance of emerging victorious in the next provincial election.
“The majority are still PCs, and I am pretty sure this constituency will still go that way,” he said.
Al Kemmere, former reeve of Mountain View County, has a background in the dairy industry. His family farm, which included grain, beef and dairy, was sold four years ago.
In addition to the political experience gained during his years on County council, Kemmere served as a director on the regional and provincial board for the dairy industry.
Currently, Kemmere sits on the Alberta Association of Municipal Districts and Counties provincial board.
Key concerns for Kemmere are health care, the oil and gas industry and the future of agriculture.
“We have great doctors, nurses and staff, but we can’t get the people in the door as fast as we would like or as fast as we need,” he said.
“We need to shorten the line ups.”
According to Kemmere, the province should take on the role of opening new markets for producers to help them bring in adequate revenue.
“Agriculture settled this country, and in 50 years it will be a stronger backbone than ever,” said Kemmere.
“The government’s role is facilitation, not program funding.”
Kemmere said his experience helps set him apart.
“My track record with Mountain View County shows I believe in partnerships,” he said. “I am going to go (to Edmonton) and build relationships.”
Darcy Davis, a third generation farmer who grew up near Acme, is not a newcomer to the political arena.
He challenged current MLA Richard Marz four years ago.
Davis served as chair of both the Alberta Beef Producers and the Government Affairs Committee. He also spent six years on the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association board before becoming president of the Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance.
Davis is presently serving on the board of the Agriculture Financial Services Corporation.
He said his variety of experience at the local, provincial, national and international levels gives him an insider’s knowledge on how Alberta fits into the world.
“I bring the big picture into the equation,” said Davis, a father to two grown daughters.
“I think a lot of people appreciate having that bigger picture taken into account.”
Of utmost importance to Davis is maintaining Albertans’ high quality of life.
“There is a lot of things we need to do to ensure that,” he said.
Davis said the government’s job is to partner with companies to create value-added industry, such as building facilities to process oil, gas and agricultural products.
Other challenges Davis sees ahead for Alberta is providing care for the growing number of seniors, as well as maintaining the quality of education and public health care in the province.
Davis encourages people to purchase a PC membership to help shape the future of the party, which he says has left a lasting legacy of high quality of life in Alberta.
“I would really like them to come out and take part,” he said.
“I think it is important for the future of Alberta to make a choice.”
