Red Deer’s municipal election is just two months away.
The first person to throw their hat in the ring for mayor made the announcement Wednesday. Tara Veer is running to be re-elected.
Veer’s first term isn’t quite over, but at a press conference Wednesday she said she still has some unfinished business.
“We cannot rest on what we have done in the past, we are not done,” said Veer during the announcement.
The municipal election is only 60 days away. Veer said she’s excited to be hitting the campaign trail once more.
“I believe a leader needs to stay long enough to make a difference,” she said.
Reflecting on her first term as mayor, Veer said major improvements have been made in the city.
“There are about four or five key projects that we have waited for 20 years as a community, and we've rallied as a community to receive those,” she said.
Those projects include getting funding to expand the provincial courthouse, and the still under construction QEII interchange.
Veer added sporting events such as the Memorial Cup and upcoming 2019 Canada Winter Games are putting Red Deer in the international spotlight.
She also believes those projects have been key to diversifying the local economy during tough times.
“Certainly securing public infrastructure investment has brought stability to our local economy in a time where we need it the most.”
Veer plans to continue advocating for two other major projects during her campaign, “Top priorities are the Red Deer Regional Hospital capital expansion as well as polytechnic university status for Red Deer College,” she explained.
And if she gets a new mandate, Veer wants to focus on what the community has been asking for.
“Our citizens have consistently identified that safety, transportation, and core municipal services are their priority.”
According to the city’s municipal election website, no other candidates are in the running for Mayor so far. Nomination day for city council and mayor is September 18, voters head to the polls October 16, 2017.
