There is now a three-way race to be the Reeve of Brazeau County. This week Bart Guyon announced his intention to seek re-election to the position.
Guyon describes himself as a father and a farmer who has worked in the oil, gas, and forestry industry for over 30 years. He is one of the best known faces in local politics having served on County council off and on for 18 years since he was first elected in 1992. He was returned as Reeve in a by-election in 2015 and continued to hold the position at the 2017 municipal election. He says he’s running again in order to build on the progress that’s been made in recent years.
“ Together, we have already accomplished so much, but I feel that our work isn’t done yet,” he said in a statement. “I want to continue on course with the plans charted — plans different from any other municipality in Alberta. These plans foster a can-do attitude that puts (residents) first.”
Guyon says the County has been working to become known as the best place in the province for people to live and for businesses to operate. It’s important for that progress to continue.
“We lowered taxes 30 percent in 2015 and have fought to maintain this low tax regime ever since,” he says. “We implemented a residential and corporate tax rebate system to help cultivate an environment for success with a hassle-free government that supports its citizens and its businesses. We have eliminated fees and fines, and have significantly reduced the red tape that has been burdening developers.”
According to Guyon those steps make Brazeau County unique in Alberta. It creates what he calls the “Brazeau Advantage” as a place for business to succeed.
“We have maintained this momentum for over five years and we are at a pivotal point. Now is not the time to change direction,” he says.
“Our business model is starting to attract businesses from all over Alberta and Canada, which means more jobs and more financial security for our community. This is critical if we want our oil, gas, forestry, and agricultural sectors to succeed.”
While some concerns have been raised over the state of the County’s finances, Guyon says that independent auditors have said that the municipality has a very strong financial foundation. Much of the money the County has spent has been focussed on re-investing in essential infrastructure. That’s included water and wastewater lagoons as well as roads.
As Reeve Guyon says he has always made an effort to be open and transparent and is happy to hear feedback and ideas from members of the public. That means residents can count on him to continue listening and doing everything he can to support their ideas moving forward.
At the October election Guyon will be joined on the ballot by Jason Kennedy and Donald Mosicki as County residents choose who will be their leading elected official for the next four years. He says he’s ready to face that challenge and is keen to be able to continue to lead the County forwards.
“The longer I live here the more I realize what a beautiful place Brazeau County is,” he says. “We have a lot going for us and you’ve got to make sure some of those things don’t get eroded.”
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