William Alexander (Sandy) Douglas loves Lacombe. Now, he hopes he can maintain those feelings about his community as a councillor.
Douglas has lived in Lacombe all his life and decided to run for council to make sure the community he cares about remains on the right track.
“I love this community,” said Douglas. He added that while he has not agreed with all the decision made by councils of the past, he thinks that generally things have been done well. To make sure that trend continues, Douglas wants to have some say into what decisions the City makes.
“I would never criticize anything that was done in the past, what’s done is done. But I want to have some input. There are some things that have been done that I don’t agree with and there are some things that I wouldn’t have thought of that are the greatest ideas ever.”
Most important to Douglas is listening to the demands of the people, he said.
He added that, no matter what the issue is, it is important to listen to citizens because that is whom he would be representing.
Douglas said Lacombe needs to make better use of what he calls its ideal strategic location and promote itself in all areas. He said that Lacombe could be a “Mecca” for so many things in Alberta like arts, sports, agriculture and the oil industry and is missing out on the opportunity for growth in these areas.
As such, Douglas’ motto for his campaign is ‘Promote Lacombe’. He added that he would like to see Lacombe bring back its “Crossroads of the Parkland” moniker.
“Lacombe is a pretty cool place. There are a few things that Lacombe is missing out on that it could be gaining.”
Along those lines, Douglas said he wants to see more growth in Lacombe, particularly in the commercial sector. He said that he, like many Lacombians, do much of their shopping outside Lacombe simply because there are not enough businesses in the City. Douglas added that, with Lacombe now a City, it should work to attract more businesses so that money stays in Lacombe.
“Now that we are a City let’s act like a City.”
While he may not have the experience of some other candidates who are running for a second or third term on council, Douglas said he does not foresee his inexperience to be a problem.
“I’m a fast learner and I mix well with others,” said Douglas.
He added that it seems lately the City has been spending too much money on studies, something he doesn’t think is always necessary.