(Abby Zieverink / EverythingGP)

By Abby Zieverink

municipal election

City council candidate O’Connor focused on economic development

Oct 6, 2021 | 1:42 PM

With the municipal election quickly approaching, another resident in the Swan City is gearing up for election day on October 18.

Grande Prairie resident since 1973, local businessman and volunteer Mike O’Connor says he decided to run for council because he believes he would bring a fresh perspective to the table.

“I think my skills and running multiple businesses and being the chair of many organizations like Grande Prairie Live Theatre, Grande Prairie Regional College, Camp Tamarack, the Swan City Rotary Club, the GP and District Chamber of Commerce, and Alberta Chamber of Commerce, positions me well to represent all residents.”

The number one item O’Connor says he would focus on if elected is economic development.

“We need to attract new businesses to come to Grande Prairie and set up shop, thus creating jobs and increasing our revenue stream.”

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He says by working to increase the revenue stream in the city, he would, in turn, work to reduce taxes for residents in the city, which he says is part of the marketing.

“That means we need to showcase our college, our hospitals, our world-class art gallery, our beautiful library and our expansive park system, and we need to market ourselves so people want to move here, raise their family and stay, just like I did.”

In part of making Grande Prairie a place for families to grow, O’Connor says he wants to do further work in making the city a safe community.

He says this would happen by further tackling the opioid crisis and assisting the homeless population to “move into secure housing and get help dealing with their past trauma.”

“And to do that, we must make sure our non-profit groups receive stable and predictable funding,” he said. “To enable this to happen, we need to be proactive working with the province and the federal government.”

If elected, O’Connor says he would approach the job with 110 per cent of his abilities.

“You won’t outwork me because if you know me, that’s how I do things. I attack things with energy, I do my homework, I do my research,” he said.

O’Connor is one of 19 candidates vying for a seat on council. A full list of candidates and election details can be found on EverythingGP’s municipal election page.