Erika Lange’s passion to give back to the community is what led her to decide to run for town council in the Oct. 18 municipal election.
Lange came to Alberta from Manitoba after graduating from university to build on her career in the petroleum industry in Calgary and Fort St John.
Lange is now a small business owner in Cochrane and dedicates much of her time volunteering with Helping Hands, where she recently led a food drive for the organization. Lange also contributes regularly to the Cochrane and Area Humane Society.
“My husband and I like to contribute to society,” she said. “The way we’ve always done that is through volunteering and volunteering is how I got to meet people in the town because I knew no one when I moved here. Running for council gives me another avenue to impact my community more and give back more.”
According to Lange’s website, she spent spent years serving on the tourism board in Fort St. John and was part of the initiation of the town’s Junior Chamber of Commerce.
She said being a small business owner and her experience in Fort St. John will make her a valuable asset on Cochrane’s town council.
“I can bring a fresh perspective, but a fresh perspective of someone who is looking at it from my own experience,” she said. “The fact that I lived in another town of this size and was engaged in just about the same way and from being a small business owner as well attests to that.”
After moving to Cochrane, Lange began attending the public information sessions to better get to know the community. She also became a member of the Cochrane and District Chamber of Commerce.
Her input on the Land Use Bylaw after the last election led to her being chosen to serve on the Town-appointed Cochrane Planning Commission, where she served for three years.
One of the first orders of business if she is elected to council, Lange said, is creating more clarity around bylaws.
“One of the main pillars for me is to create more wording around bylaws so that there aren’t as many grey areas,” she said. That’s where my passion grew, when I moved here and became part of the Land Use Bylaw project and working on the Cochrane Planning Commission, I got to see where those grey areas fell.”
Lange said that just like everyone else, she wants to maintain Cochrane’s small-town feel and sees tangible ways to do that despite the town’s rapid population growth.
“The way we do that is a variety of ways, not just Town initiative,” she said. “Through community association events, community organization events, things like that. Helping facilitate that to happen and creating space for that promotes that feeling.”
Her inclination to dig deep on issues that matter, she said, lends itself to having informed opinions and making informed decisions that will be a strong asset to town council.
“I think what I bring to the table is the fact that I really read, research and listen, and from there is where I voice my opinion and that was noted to me from my fellow members on the CPC [Cochrane Planning Committee].”
