Anthony Heinrich is the new Reeve of Brazeau County.
Heinrich came out on top in Monday’s by-election, taking 495 votes, well ahead of Pat Vos, who finished second with 396 votes. Among the other candidates, Christie Callaghan took 201 votes, while 199 people supported Jason Lavigne.
“I’m very happy. I’m pleased to see that people still have faith in me,” said Heinrich on Tuesday morning.
Heinrich is a long time resident of the Alsike area and is no stranger to local politics. He was first elected to council in 1998 and continued to represent Division 5 for 27 years until losing his seat in the 2025 election. When the role of reeve became vacant after the unexpected resignation of Bart Guyon earlier this year, he was the first candidate to put his name forward.
While he or she only has one vote when it comes to decision making, the role of the reeve is to serve as the County’s Chief Elected Official. In that capacity the reeve presides over council meetings, acts as lead spokesperson for the municipality and takes the lead in working with other levels of government. Heinrich previously served for two years as reeve in the early 2000s, at a time when the position was filled from among sitting councillors rather than chosen by the public at large.
During the by-election campaign Heinrich emphasized his desire to see the County create a long-term infrastructure plan so residents know what to expect in coming years. He also said it was important to keep an eye on the level of reserves and for the County to be aware of the impact of its spending decisions.
Council is due to begin the budget process for the coming year, which includes funding requests for some major projects. Heinrich says the decision on how to proceed with those requests is up to all of council, not the reeve alone.
“But we need to learn to live within our means and decide if some of our “wants” are really a top priority at this time,” he says.
Another area highlighted during the campaign period was communication with those who live and work in Brazeau County. Heinrich says it’s important for the public to have a clear understanding of the decisions council makes and the reasons for those decisions.
Now he’s been elected, he encourages residents to stay in touch.
“I’d like to thank them for their support,” he says. “If they’ve got questions please call or come to a meeting.”
