COCHRANE— Drawing on years of municipal government experience, Todd Muir has thrown his hat into the race for a Town of Cochrane council seat.
Muir and his family love Cochrane and have been in the community for the past 20 years, he said, and he wants to helps the town remain a place residents can enjoy and take pride in.
He remains committed to making Cochrane the best community possible based on its continued growth and development.
Muir said one of his main goals is to maintain what makes Cochrane a special place to live.
“I want to keep the flare it has, the western heritage and I like the smaller town feel. I don’t want to lose that charm at the expense of development,” Muir said. “I don’t want to see it get away from itself and completely change.”
Muir would like to see measured growth and development take place, but see these actions take place in the best way possible.
“I’m going in pretty open-minded, I’m really there for my neighbours and the residents to look after all of our needs,” Muir said.
Muir joins Samantha Nickerson, Paul Singh, Bruce Townley, Brandon Cruze and Dan Cunin in the race for a town councillor seat. The municipal election takes place on Oct. 18.
Muir has years of direct experience working with municipal councils managing city services, supporting elected officials and providing consultation and guidance throughout his career.
“I’ve had a lot of municipal geared management training on stuff specific to council governance put on by some excellent presenters,” Muir said. “My specialties, I would say, are all aspects of municipal recreation and parks services … I’ve got lots of capital project management experience for cities, private organizations and not-for-profits. I’ve helped cities affiliated not-for-profit groups with their business planning.”
He hopes to bring these skills to Town of Cochrane council to help serve the residents of Cochrane.
Muir has previously served as the CAO and general manager for the Bonnyville and District Leisure Facility Corporation. The organization was a joint venture between the municipal district and the Town of Bonnyville. Muir was in charge of most of their facilities and recreation as a whole in the area.
Before his time in Bonnyville, Muir spent three years with the City of Moosejaw as the director and manager of recreation, parks and civic facilities. Muir noted this included all capital projects for the city.
Muir has also run a recreation consulting business over the years providing services to cities, towns, counties, not-for-profits and private organizations.
Throughout his career, Muir said, he has gained expertise in the areas of recreation, parks and cultural services through his experience working on municipal policies, acts, bylaws and financial management.
His work also provided Muir with the ability to assist with crime prevention, health, emergency services, homelessness and social services initiatives.
Affordable housing is also a need he is hoping to address in the community.
Muir platform’s is based on offering his years of experience to residents who call the town of Cochrane home.
Muir said he knows from his previous experience how important it is to take all views into account when city planning to ensure a complete community.
“I’m used to looking at the big picture and how it impacts all the different demographics that make up a city or a town,” Muir said. “That includes your groups, your businesses and all individuals.”
