Delia is one of the most contested elections in the area this year. Eight candidates, two of which are incumbents, submitted their nomination papers for Delia’s three council seats.  
    The Mail spoke with the six new candidates to learn more about their visions for the future of Delia.
    To learn more about incumbents John Rogers and Dennis Thordarson, visit www.drumhellermail.com under the article “Jeff Collins resigns from Delia Council.”

Glenn Arnold
    Glenn Arnold, husband of Irene Arnold, feels the previous council paid little attention to the wishes of the Delia public.
    “My biggest bone of contention is how council and administration seem to be paying no heed to residents and doing whatever they feel like,” said Glenn. “For example, they never went to the people when they determined new purchases had to be made for equipment. The old equipment was perfectly adequate. We have no communication with our council.”
    In addition, Glenn also highlights mismanagement by council and high taxes a concerns.
    “The mismanagement comes from our council. When they were doing the sewers, why didn’t they replace the water lines at the same time? The sewer was done, they put the road back, a leak developed, and then they had to rip up the road again,” said Glenn.
    He feels the best way to restore the confidence of Delia residents is to open up the decision-making process to residents.
    “I’d open things up to the general public and have them tell council what they want done. From there, we would set priorities based on what the people want,” said Glenn.

Irene Arnold
    Irene Arnold has also put her name forward in the 2013 election. She had previously served on the Sundre council and feels she has the experience to make positive changes in Delia.
    “I feel it’s necessary to make a change here. We’ve watched previous councils do what they do and I feel it’s time for me to run to help make a better Delia,” said Irene.
    Her focus is to bring more people and businesses to Delia, but feels everything needs to be examined, including taxes and utility costs.
    “We need to work on infrastructure, economic development, bringing more people here, more business, looking at expenditures, and our tax base. We basically need to look at everything,” said Irene.
    “I want to keep Delia strong and growing. Sustainability is the biggest thing on my list.”
    Mismanagement is also on her agenda.
    “I’ve been seeing jobs being repeated. For example, they had to go in a replace valves that were put in  previous construction. Why did we put out so much money when it should’ve been done right the first time,” said Irene.

Dawn Bancroft
    Newcomer Dawn Bancroft believes council should shift its focus and prioritize its residents.
    “I would like to see council serve the citizens first. It’s a mandate I believe in. That’s why I decided to run for council,” said Bancroft.
    Bancroft feels, in light of provincial funding cutbacks, Delia must move forward in a fiscally responsible manner and examine options when it comes to taxes and spending.
    “It’s time to be fiscally responsible and be realistic when it comes to taxation and spending. I would like whoever is elected to have a good look at taxes and spending to see if we can do anything with them,” said Bancroft.

John Fox
    Former public works foreman John Fox feels it’s time he gave back by running for a spot on the Village Council.
    “I was the public works foreman for awhile, there are a few things that need to be done, and the town has been good to me, so I felt I could give back by running,” said Fox.
    Should he be elected, Fox wishes to address taxes, keep costs down, and the infrastructure needs of the community.
    “There are things people have been having problems with, like taxes. I’d be taking a look at that and see how we can change it,”
“My idea is to be fiscally repsonsible, but try to help as many people as I can with their problems and Get as much done as we possibly can,”
“The infrastructure is getting around 60 years old. We need to upgrade it, but need a plan to do a little at a time and keep  it affordable,” said Fox.
    Fox also wants to make council more transparent.
    “People have complained council isn’t very transparent. I’d want to talk to people, tell them what’s going on, and help them keep in touch,” said Fox.

Beverly Hall
    Beverly Hall has been living in Delia for six years, and in the general area much longer, and feels taxes and spending are the biggest issues to be addressed.
    “It’s home and I love it, but the taxes have got to the point where I don’t know how we’re going to continue,” said Hall.
    “We have to get the taxes back down to a manageable level and continue to make Delia a safe, viable community. Curbing spending is the only way I can think of doing it. We have to get costs down.”
    By reigning in taxes and spending, Hall feels it would help spur growth in the community and maintain services.
    “We have a really good community here. Good school, decent infrastructure, and I would hate to see us stagnate. It has to be an ongoing process to maintain our community,” said Hall.
    For whomever is elected, Hall feels residents should choose the council that would work best as a team.
    “Make sure you vote for candidates who can work well together, collaborate, and who will communicate with residents to find out what they want and need,” said Hall.

Susan Waye
    Susan Waye, a resident of Delia for over 20 years, will be running for election after feeling the previous council ignored her and fellow residents who live on 1st Avenue South and Cemetery Way.
    “I thought it was time for me to stand up and do my civic duty,” said Waye.
    “I live on the edge of town and 10 years ago we had to fight for municipal water and now we have to fight to have municipal sewer. The last indication from the mayor was we’re not part of the community, but we have municipal water and they take our taxes.”
    Like others, Waye feels taxes are too high in the village, decisions are made without proper consultation, and municipal projects are mismanaged.
    “Right now, Delia has a mill rate of 12 per cent, which is quite high. I think we lost touch with what our council is doing. Things were being done without a lot of public opinion,” said Waye.
    “We’ve had a lot of mis-planning. Two years ago, they paved the roads. Last year, they tore up the roads they had just paved to put in new sidewalks, which weren’t done right. This year, they started to dig up the roads to put in sewer lines.”
    A new initiative Waye hopes to bring to council is an anti-bullying bylaw.
    “I would like to bring a bullying bylaw, like what’s happening in other communities, brought into our small community. There are a lot past issues and name-calling happening, and I think it’s time to change that,” said Waye.

    An election forum is scheduled for Delia on Wednesday, October 9 and residents head to the polls on October 21.