Mayoral candidate election signs in Redcliff

By Teagan Rasche

Gale, Kilpatrick, Payne and Reimer

Four candidates running for mayor of Redcliff

Oct 14, 2021 | 4:53 PM

REDCLIFF, AB – As election day nears, candidates are busy campaigning for votes.

Over in Redcliff, four people are running for mayor.

One of the candidates they can choose from is Shawna Gale. She’s been a resident of Redcliff for 25 years and would be the first female mayor of the town.

“Since that time I’ve lived here, I’ve been very dedicated to my community,” Gale said. “I have spent the last 25 years doing a lot of volunteer work, doing a lot of good things. Been involved with my children within their schools, their sports.”

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Gale is an active resident of the community and a Lions member. She’s passionate about Redcliff and being the mayor would be her only job.

“Maintaining low taxes and continuing having all our services and having those not increase and keeping up with the services we have at a service level we want to see,” Gale said.

Another candidate on the ballot is Mark Payne.

He’s been a Redcliff resident since 2010 and for the last 25 years has worked in the oil and agriculture industries. He is campaigning for change.

“We need to know where our money went,” Payne said. “To stop spending it wastefully like they did on the rec centre parking lot and the recycling centre that they’ve yet to build.”

Another issue inspiring Payne’s campaign is road safety. He wants to see school zone speeds at the Broadway and Mitchell intersection.

“People want sidewalks, just simple sidewalks,” Payne said. “Most of our avenues don’t have sidewalks so in the wintertime our kids have to talk down the street to get to their bus stops.”

The third candidate is Ernie Reimer. The former councillor and mayor of Redcliff has lived here for more than 40 years.

“I’m a doer, I like to see things get done,” Reimer said. “I’ve been a long-time resident here and not going anywhere anytime soon. I’m an honest person, I’m approachable, I listen to what people’s concerns are.”

Reimer wants to bring more doctors to Redcliff as the town currently has only one. He also plans to upgrade the sanitary sewer system, build a firehall and grow the tourism sector.

“We need a hotel, motel, we have nothing,” Reimer said. “The town needs the wireless internet, fibre optics cause it’s much faster and broader.”

CHAT News reached out to current mayor Dwight Kilpatrick but calls weren’t returned.

There is an advance poll on Saturday, Oct. 16 from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Redcliff Public Library.

Election day is Oct. 18.