Todd Pawsey of Paintearth County has decided to put his name forward in the upcoming United Conservative Party (UCP) leadership position nomination for the Drumheller-Stettler riding.
The 50-year-old single father of two was born and raised on a grain farm south of Edgerton. He has over 26 years experience of working and serving rural communities in the community services department of two municipalities.
Pawsey put his name into Elections Alberta the first weekend in May after pondering his choices for roughly six months.
“We were hearing a lot about how our area could be better represented and I’ve worked 26 years in rural county government. A lot of my work is an overlap of what a representative for the area does so I put my name forth because I think I have a lot to offer,” said Pawsey. “I’m an empty nester with lots of time, passion, commitment, and experience to be a good voice for our riding.”
The candidate worked for the MD of Bonnyville for 16 years as the Community Services Director before moving to the County of Paintearth for a position as the Community Services Development Officer for 10 years.
“So basically I’m dealing with all things of life in rural Alberta and local governance levels dealing with counties, towns, and villages,” he said. “I’ve got a wide breadth of experience with various different provincial government departments to see how they impact our resident's lives, businesses, and various facets. That’s why I think I have a lot to offer.”
Pawsey wishes to see more representation within the constituency which will reflect the needs of the area in Alberta’s capital.
“We need to have an MLA that is in touch with the community. From what I hear is that not so much has changed in the government but also hasn’t changed in representation so we need to make sure the person we send into Edmonton just doesn’t disappear for four years and represent Edmonton back to us,” said Pawsey.
Nomination Day is Saturday, June 23. Only members of the party are allowed to vote for who they think best fits the bill so all three candidates including Nate Horner and Rick Strankman are trying to sell as many memberships as they can.
“Our time crunch to sell memberships to support our candidacy is limited down to about June 1. After June 1, only party members can vote and that’s why it’s critical to reach out now,” he said.
