The slate of candidates has been set for the provincial election.
Candidates had until 2 p.m. on Friday, March 29 to register with a Returning Officer. In Drumheller–Stettler there are six candidates who will appear on the ballot. They are (in alphabetical order) Holly Heffernan of the Alberta NDP, Greg Herzog of the Alberta Advantage Party, Nate Horner of the United Conservative Party, Jason Hushagen of the Alberta Independence Party, Mark Nikota of the Alberta Party and Independent candidate Rick Strankman.
Holly Heffernan is a retired Registered Nurse and spent her nearly 40-year career in the health care system in Calgary. She was involved with the United Nurses of Alberta for 37 years and she volunteered in many areas including the Calgary and District Labour Council and served as president in 2009, and the United Way Labour Partnership Committee.
She ran federally for the NDP in Calgary Southwest in 2006, 2008 and 2011. She was a provincial candidate in Calgary-Glenmore for the NDP in the 2004 and 2008 provincial elections.
Greg Herzog of the Alberta Advantage Party is a fourth generation farmer and business owner from the Delia area. He sat as a director on the Wildrose Constituency Association for more than five years and then the UCP board when the parties united. He joined the Alberta Advantage Party, as he felt this most strongly reflects his beliefs in a grassroots political party.
His goal if elected is to make sure communication happens between the people who live in the Drumheller-Stettler riding and those who run government. He feels transparency and accountability are paramount.
Nate Horner won the nod from the United Conservative Party in September of last year and has been busy campaigning ever since. The rancher and family man from the Pollockville area is an avid volunteer and held board positions in a number of community organizations. He was president of the Highway 9 Breeders Association and co-chair of the Hardgrass Bronc Match.
He says his goal is to help Jason Kenney and the UCP make Alberta the most competitive jurisdiction in North America, shrink government, decrease the regulatory burden and stand up for Alberta and its industries.
Jason Hushagen is running under the banner of the Alberta Independence Party. While the oilfield consultant, who is based in the Stettler area, has always had an interest in politics, this is his first time stepping in the political ring. He felt rather than complaining, he would do something about it and try to make a change. He feels independence is a simple issue of dollars and cents.
“I feel we would be better off to go in that direction because of the simple fact that we would be saving the $50 billion a year we are sending over to the federal government for basically nothing. We are not getting a lot back and not getting a lot of help,” he said.
“That, and we would actually have a voice as Albertans.”
Mark Nikota has been busy on the campaign trail as the candidate representing the Alberta Party. He served as Mayor of Hanna from 2010 to 2013 and is currently the CAO of Delia, and is finishing off his Masters in Business and Public Policy. He also spent many years working with the Progressive Conservative Party before joining the Alberta Party.
He feels the party adds a moderate voice in a very polarized political climate. He says the party is looking at balancing the budget while at the same time preserving the programs that Albertans rely on.
Rick Strankman has served the Drumheller-Stettler riding as MLA since 2012, as a member of the Wildrose Party and then the United Conservatives. He lost the party’s nomination to Horner last fall and in January announced he would sit in the legislature as an independent.
The Altario area farmer has a passion for property rights and is focused on advancing democratic freedom. He says by running and winning as an independent it will enable him to restore the priorities of the people of Drumheller-Stettler and bring them to the front line of the legislature.
The provincial election is on Tuesday, April 16.
