(Supplied: Kevin McLean)

By Abby Zieverink

municipal election

Kevin McLean hoping for return to Grande Prairie City Council

Aug 17, 2021 | 3:58 PM

Grande Prairie resident Kevin McLean is running for a seat on Grande Prairie City Council for the municipal election on October 18.

McLean says he is running in this election as he believes, if elected, he will help make a difference on council.

He says, if elected, the three things he would bring to the team are experience, confidence, and grit.

“One of the things I bring is grit, I’m not afraid to ask tough questions, no matter who’s in the room, and I believe as a councilor, you have to be able to ask tough questions to hopefully, come together as a team and make it work,” McLean said, as he stressed the importance of council working together as a team.

Mclean, who held a seat in council from 2010 to 2017, is hoping to get elected back on council after losing in the 2017 election by roughly 100 votes.

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He suggests the most important thing with that experience was not letting it get him down.

“Sometimes you fall down and get dirt on your pants as a kid, and your parents pick you up and wipe it off and move forward.”

Using his previous council experience, he says there are a couple of things that he will bring to the table if elected in the fall. One being to work together with the new council and not rush decisions.

“It doesn’t matter if administration wants to push (something) through. Council as a team should work together, and if things have to be delayed, delay them and overlook them until they’re just right.”

McLean says his eyes have been wide open over the past four years to see things he could try and implement if he is elected. One of those improvements he explains is improving procedures and policies to align with the community needs, like an improved trail system.

“You see some of our systems in our trails in our city, and we’re expanding them, some areas are disconnected, and they are dangerous spots,” explains McLean.

“As we know from the pandemic we have, people are out walking more and using their bikes with their family and getting out there, and we need to connect them better, our trail systems.”

McLean joins a list of 12 candidates who intend to run for city council this fall, including:

• Ejibola Folashade Adetokunbo-Taiwo
• Ngemital Paul Rovin
• Michael Patrick O’Connor
• Solomon Okhifoh
• Grant Berg
• Neil Tuazon
• Dylan Bressey
• Kevin P. O’Toole
• Wendy Bosch
• Tammy Brown
• John Lehners

Three people have also put their names forward for mayor, including Eunice Friesen, Jackie Clayton, and Bryan Petryshyn.

Two candidates have also filed their papers for the office of Public School Board Trustee, including Joan Nellis and Andre Ouelette.

The next municipal election is set for Monday, October 18.