Hamilton and Burkitt square off in Cypress County’s Ward 5

Hamilton has been on the council for 12 years and said he feels that he’s done a good job for Dunmore and Veinerville and would like to continue doing this for the community.

“There are a couple of things that I really want to be around for. Our economic development side is moving forward. We have some people in place that are starting to really thrive with it for the County, and I’d like to stay around for the next four years and really work with that and get that moving,” Hamilton said.

“It’s been something I’ve wanted to do for the last 12 years, and it’s slowly been going, and I see that it’s got traction and the council has made some moves to try and better the county for tax base, and I want to be there to help out with it.”

He has three key priorities.

“Economic development, service levels for the County, and to finally get the linear assessment that’s been going on for a few years. Finally get that put to bed and work with the province to have a policy in place on how that’s going to work,” Hamilton said.

“It’s been a long track record to get that done.”

Hamilton adds that oil and gas in the area is decreasing.

“There is still lots here, I’m not putting a scare into anybody, but it is going away. We need to find a tax base to start replacing that,” Hamilton said.

“We’ve got a group in place that recognizes that too, and it’s just time to move forward. We’ve spent the last few years working on that and trying to get it going,” he added.

“It would be a shame to walk away from it right now and not get it to completion.”

Hamilton has spent over half of his twelve years as Reeve of Cypress County.

“The first three years I got on council, I was a Councillor. The next two years, I was Deputy Reeve. The past seven years, I’ve been the reeve for Cypress County,” Hamiton said.

“It’s a position that you have to earn it every year. It’s not like the urban [centres] where you vote for a Mayor and you vote for a Councillor. In the rural area, you have to become a Councillor. Once you’re a councillor, it’s the peers on council that elect you as a Reeve,” he added.

“You have to do a good job. You’ve got to treat everybody fair and equally, because one year from now, you’re going to have to ask for their vote again to get yourself back in as Reeve. I’ve been uncontested for seven years.”

Hamilton said he thinks Cypress County and the region has a lot of potential.

“I want to be there to do the best I can for the ratepayers and try and do the best I can for the region,” Hamilton said.

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Della Burkitt

Della Burkitt is looking to represent Cypress County.

The 44-year-old has lived in Dunmore since 2013 with her husband Cory, raising four children.

She has also lived in Medicine Hat, and on a farm north of Schuler.

Burkitt was encouraged by friends around a campfire while camping to get into politics.

“I had a former councillor say, you should run, because I think you’d be actually really good at it,” Burkitt said.

“At the time, I was a stay-at-home parent. I was not into politics at all. I guess the politics that I was into, how can I get matching socks on my kids when they’re running out the door? But, I started to pay attention, started to watch council meetings, read the minutes, and fully understand,” she added.

“Then, I went for one of the Cypress County boards, and I got on. The governance and legislative training that goes along with that, that was hook, line, and sinker, I was in. That was one of the biggest drives, I think, in order to have that, I guess, push for me to run.”

Burkitt’s board experience with the County includes the municipal planning commission, assessment review board, subdivision and appeal committee, and Verge Economics.

A key priority Burkitt has found from constituents is that they want the council to be more accessible.

“I would really be hoping that I can convince and work with the other councillors to get evening council sessions,” Burkitt said.

“I’ve seen evening council sessions in other municipalities. I believe that the work gets done quicker, decisions get made sooner, and for myself, times money,” she added.

“Public accessibility should be number one, because they’re the reasons why we’re sitting in our seats, if I do get in.”

She would focus on infrastructure in Dunmore.

“I know that people want Dunmore to grow and to build. We would then need to look at proper infrastructure to bring in those certain businesses or industries, and also sustaining the businesses and industries that we already have here,” Burkitt said.

“The biggest advocates for Cypress County and for this ward would be the businesses that are already here.”

She said the biggest way to understand Cypress County is to pay attention to the minutes and read them and the agenda packages, and then to watch the council meeting on YouTube.

“They are context. You get to hear what each individual councillor thinks. And then off of that, that’s when you can ask questions, inquire, do things like that,” Burkitt said.

“I have to say that Cypress County’s staff is amazing. Anytime that I call, they’re extremely quick to get back to me,” she added.

“If I get a hold of the councillor, they’re relatively respectful, which is great. That’s how it should be.”

Burkitt said she would like to see more cohesiveness around the horseshoe.

This is the second time Burkitt is running for council.

She said that what she heard at the doors during the last election was that she didn’t fully understand the governance and the bylaws side of things.

“This is why I tried to get on as many boards as I could, to better understand the ins and the outs of Cypress County,” Burkitt said.

“Trying to do my best with the information that I can gather.”

Burkitt said she is a huge advocate for volunteering.

“It’s not just within this ward. It’s throughout Cypress County, Medicine Hat, wherever I’m needed,” Burkitt said.

“I think that if people aren’t going out and volunteering, this is when we lose some of these great events that happen around here,” she added.

“I would really hate to see that.”

Burkitt said she has over 25 years of entrepreneurial experience.

“I was a dog trainer for 10 to 15 years. With my husband’s business, Medicine Hat Motorcycle Service, we just celebrated this year our 25th anniversary,” Burkitt said.

“So to know the ins and the outs of the business and starting them up from the ground up with all of the decision making at times, especially with inflation and things that are going on right now, you’ve got to be able to make tough decisions,” she added.

“We’ve had a wonderful 25-plus years of making these decisions. I plan for many more and to bring that towards Cypress County.”

Location

Cypress County’s Ward 5 is Dunmore and Veinerville, north to the South Saskatchewan River, and south to Township Road 120.

by Jesse Gill

Hamilton and Burkitt square off in Cypress County’s Ward 5

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