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Grossick running to help keep Cochrane 'a great town'

For Steve Grossick, electing a good, insightful government is fundamental for the success of Cochrane. And as a candidate for town council in the Oct. 21 election, he said those are a few of the characteristics he’s bringing to the race.
Fourteen-year Cochrane resident Steve Grossick is seeking election for town council.
Fourteen-year Cochrane resident Steve Grossick is seeking election for town council.

For Steve Grossick, electing a good, insightful government is fundamental for the success of Cochrane.

And as a candidate for town council in the Oct. 21 election, he said those are a few of the characteristics he’s bringing to the race. That, and with his passion for Cochrane and it’s residents.

Grossick is no stranger to the political landscape, with a background that includes managing a constituency office for an Alberta cabinet minister, directing research for the Alberta P.C. caucus, as well as managing a successful campaign of an incumbent Alberta Progressive Conservative MLA.

He’s even familiar with the ins and outs of a town of Cochrane municipal election: nine years ago he ran for mayor. While he lost that race, he said he’s ready to run again.

“To effect municipal change, you need to do it from the inside,” said Grossick, who is president of Cochrane and Area Victim Services Society. “You can’t do it from the outside in.

“I’ve got something to offer: public service. I’m not doing it for the money and I’m not doing it for the glory. I’m doing it because I hope I can make a difference.”

A 14-year resident of this town, Grossick has had the opportunity to watch Cochrane evolve over the course of that time.

“Cochrane’s grown and it’s continuing to grow — it’s changing from that small town,” said Grossick, who works in residence services at the University of Calgary. “People are coming to live here because it’s a great town. I’d like to see it stay that way.”

To maintain the small-town lifestyle, Grossick explained that development and expansion has to be strategic and rational, as well as a collaborative initiative between government, residents and community partnerships.

“Projects need to be looked at, prioritized and then officials need to look at innovative funding methods,” he said. “We’d like a new pool but do we just want to go out, borrow the money and build it? Or do we want to engage our community and regional partners, consider fundraising internally, and look at capital and operational costs.

“It’s great to have expansion and facilities, as long as we understand what the priorities are and are willing to take on that level of development debt.”

Creating the understanding around the issues faced by a municipal government is one of the key concepts that Grossick hopes to develop if elected. With so much information swirling around, he said it’s important to get the correct information out to residents, understood by residents, and listen to residents feedback.

“Managing information and communication is a complex and vast task,” he said. “How do we do it? I don’t know what the answer is. But we have to try. The more information residents have, the better they can be engaged in their civic life and civic affairs.”

These open lines of communication loops into transparency in government, he added.

For Grossick, it is the relationships the municipal government has with its community and regional partners that plays a large part in a town’s vitality. He, himself, has a background that includes a senior role with the Cochrane Chamber of Commerce, past-president of the Banff-Cochrane Progressive Conservative Association, and a senior position with the Cochrane Settlement Community Association.

“Without not-for-profit organizations, the fabric of our community would not operate,” he said.

“This is one of the reasons I decided to run for council. This sector has become dear to me, and they need support and recognition.”

To learn more about Grossick and his election platform, visit grossick-for-council.com.

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