Cypress County’s Ward 2 has Brost and Teliske looking to represent the area

“Darcy Geigle was the councillor for this area at that time, and he passed away suddenly. His wife actually called me the night of his funeral and asked if I would consider running for council. Darcy did it for 17 years and did a great job, you know, so it never really crossed my mind at the time,” Brost said.

“But after thinking about it, I felt like it was my turn to serve my community. I put my name in last term and got elected.”

Brost said the first term is a lot to take in and understand.

“There’s so much to learn. Like the first two to three years, you’re basically learning everything from abbreviations to bylaws to policies, to how things run,” Brost said.

“Once I kind of got through that and got my feet wet, I felt that I’d like to run another term now that I believe I have the knowledge and capability to serve the people another term.”

Brost adds that he also has lots of experience on volunteer boards, and as a director and president of the Alberta Hereford Association, Director of the Canadian Hereford Association, president of the local Chinook Club, and a Director for Clearwater Hall.

He said a priority of his, if re-elected, would be to continue to focus on taking care of the farming, ranching, and agriculture sector.

“Agriculture is a huge passion for me,” Brost said.

“There is a lot of opportunity to bring in more businesses in the ag field, and the twinning of the highway three corridor, I believe, is really going to help spark that interest.”

Another thing that’s high on Brost’s list is the recreation and the roads in this area.

“Recreation is a big thing for a lot of people. It helps their capabilities. I know I have two grandsons and another one, and my youngest daughter has a little one on the way,” Brost said.

“I think recreation for the young people growing up is key to this area.”

Brost said he has a strong connection to the county.

“This county is my home. It’s my passion. It’s where I live. Where I’ll always live till the day I die,” Brost said.

“I feel it’s everybody’s duty to serve their constituents as best as they can. I feel that’s what I would like to do if I can get re-elected.”

Michale Teliske

Michael Teliske has put his name forward to represent Ward 2 in Cypress County if elected.

The 36-year-old had lived in Medicine Hat the majority of his life before moving out to Irvine about four years ago.

He works as a coil tubing operator in the oil patch for Iron Horse Energy Services and is also the co-owner of El Capitan Charters.

“A charter company, party bus, limousine company in town. Started that back in 2015, so this year was a 10-year anniversary with that. The last four years, I had partners buy in, and now I got a partnership there,” Teliske said.

“You work in the oil patch, it’s hard to maintain vehicles when you’re not there, so that was the biggest thing.”

Teliske said his desire to run for council comes from wanting to better the community.

“It was one of those things, when I first moved to Irvine, I figured, hey, maybe I’ll run for council, and this is the year,” Teliske said.

“I figured, why not try and see what happens, and go from there, and try to make a positive impact for everybody in the communities, and grow.”

He said maintaining stuff is a priority for him.

“The biggest thing that I’ve noticed is, there’s lots of neglect in different areas, as far as parks, and where kids are, and some of the roads, even some of the lights,” Teliske said.

“They’re just all the old lights from way back, and everything’s just outdated, and I just want to see improvements, and try to get people welcomed into the different communities, and grow that rural area,” he added.

“There’s a lot of positive impact moving out there, and living out there, as far as taxes, and you know, the housing markets. I wouldn’t say significantly less anymore, but it is definitely quite a bit cheaper, as opposed to Medicine Hat.”

His other priorities include trying to grow the communities and bring businesses out to these rural areas.

“Where they can grow quicker, and faster, and not have as much overhead as you would in other areas,” Teliske said.

“That’s my biggest thing, and keep taxes where they’re at. I mean, that’s gonna keep everybody happy in the end.”

Teliske said people don’t realize how close Irvine actually is, and he enjoys how quiet the community is.

“You see the same people all the time, so you’ve got a tight-knit community. That’s my biggest thing that I enjoy, is being quiet,” Teliske said.

“You know each other by first name, rather than driving down a block, and say it’s Medicine Hat, and you’ll never know their name.”

He doesn’t have prior board-level experience, but said there is always a starting point.

“This is my starting point here, and hopefully, [I’ll] be able to grow and learn if I do end up getting in, and I think I’ll do a good job at it,” Teliske said.

“If they don’t like what they’re seeing now, and how things have been run, then there’s always that other option.”

Teliske said you have to listen to the people around you, and try to work, and make sure that it makes sense, and do what’s going to be best for everybody in the community, and the county.

“Ultimately, in the end, that’s the biggest goal of it all, to have everybody happy. I mean, you’re not always gonna keep everybody happy. It’s politics, but you can sure try your best,” Teliske said.

Location

Cypress County’s Ward 2 is Irvine and Walsh, south to Highway 515 and north to Highway 528, and up to Highway 41.

by Jesse Gill

Cypress County’s Ward 2 has Brost and Teliske looking to represent the area

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