Three years is not enough time.
Those are the thoughts of Councillor Reuben Konnik and part of the reason he is running once again for City of Lacombe council. Konnik said council has accomplished some things and has got a few more projects going, but he feels that many projects are still “unfinished” and there is more work to do yet.
“I like where we have come and I want to be a part of what is to come yet,” said Konnik.
There is never enough time for councils to get everything they want done in a term, said Konnik and that is the reason he and many other councillors are running again. Konnik added that he is happy the length of a term on council has been lengthened from three years to four. He said that while four years is a longer commitment, it also allows councillors to get more work done.
“It takes you almost three years just to get acclimatized to the position, that’s what I found,” said Konnik.
Konnik added that anything involving politics does not move very fast and takes time to do properly.
As such, anyone wishing to make any kind of change in those avenues needs to invest a significant amount of time to get things done.
“Politics is a slow beast, nothing happens overnight,” said Konnik.
There are a number of things that Konnik would like to see happen in Lacombe, he said. One area that greatly needs improvement, said Konnik, is that of commercial growth.
“We need to get some more commercial interest in this town and we need to do more to facilitate that.”
Related to that, Konnik said he would like to be able to do something about Lacombe’s residential taxes. He said that preventing tax hikes wherever possible is something that he will continue to push for.
“Because we don’t have that commercial tax base, we rely heavily on a residential tax base,” said Konnik. “Unfortunately our taxes are high.”
Another thing Konnik said he wants to see is some kind of signature focal point that will bring people to Lacombe.
He said that he doesn’t know yet what that might be, but suggested perhaps expanding Cranna Lake to offer more recreational opportunities or expanding Lacombe’s trail system.
Konnik added that if Lacombe can attract people as tourists, it will also attract people to come live in Lacombe, which goes hand in hand with attracting commercial businesses as well.
“If people come to visit, they will come to stay.”
Konnik said his interest in politics is long-standing. He graduated from the University of Alberta with a degree in political science and began his career in politics by serving a term on the St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic School Board.
“I have always been interested in politics,” said Konnik. “I like being in the position where you get to make decisions.”
As with his campaign last time, Konnik said he is running on a ‘Triple A Guarantee,’ that he is accessible, approachable and accountable.
Konnik said he is easy to find in his downtown business and anyone is welcome to come talk to him.
“We need more of that in politics.”
Konnik added that he has no particular interests he is representing through his campaign as councillor. Instead, he strives to represent the community as a whole.
“I do what I can for everyone.”