Marco Jansen running for city council this fall

Though this is his first time running for public office, he is not new to politics.

Jansen says he has been heavily involved in provincial politics for the last nine years and in that time has learned a lot about the political process.

“I also feel that it’s very important that although there’s value to have people on council that are business owners and own property, I think it’s equally important to have someone like myself on there who has no outside business interest.”

“The amount of information councillors have to go through is absolutely astonishing and if you’re going to do that effectively, you need to be able to look at that unbiased, without any outside influence and have the time,” Jansen added.

He says the city’s power plant has had a lot of attention lately, and we’ll have to see if that’s still an issue when the election comes.

“It serves as an excellent example to what I said earlier, that personally, I am against the sale of the power plant based on what I know now. Although I will happily listen to anyone who wants to give me rational arguments why we should sell it, maybe they’ll change my mind, maybe I’ll change theirs. But as a councillor if that question comes before me, I have to be comfortable in the knowledge that I know what the people of Medicine Hat want me to do, and to do that, even if it’s different from what I personally feel.”

Jansen says the city’s riverfront project is also interesting, and he didn’t see a lot of parking in the artist’s rendition of the plan.

He also wonders how flood mitigation would come into play with development along the river.

“How much would it cost, who would pay for it, and how would it be maintained? Millions have been spent along the banks of the river for flood mitigation, that would have to factor into the planning and construction of that area,” he added.

The municipal election is on Oct. 18.

by Chantal Wagner

Marco Jansen running for city council this fall

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