By Megan Roth Sylvan Lake News
In the coming weeks before the election, the Sylvan Lake News will be featuring the candidates running for two council.
Each of the 14 candidates running for council have been given the opportunity to answer the same six questions, some which are detailed below in the form of a question and answer.
This week the News is featuring Kendall Kloss, Charles Everest and Megan Chernoff-Hanson.
Megan Chernoff-Hanson
Incumbent Megan Chernoff-Hanson was originally elected to the role of town council in 2013. Before taking up the role of councillor, Hanson was the west central regional representative for Family and Community Support Services Association of Alberta.
Hanson also brings her experience as a volunteer for community events and service clubs, sitting on the town’s municipal planning commission and community services committee.
A: Our biggest issue is keeping up with aging infrastructure along with services that have not expanded to match our growth. Playing catch up is no fun, and is something that we have struggled with. We need to have long term plans that will ensure we are providing the services needed in a community of our size.
Q: What would you like to see changed?
A: I would like to see our Sylvan Lake businesses thrive. I have enjoyed sitting as the council representative on the Sylvan Lake Chamber of Commerce over the past two years, and also as a member of the Waterfront Commercial District. Our goal on this committee is to see our businesses grow and thrive, we brainstorm, and take action on different initiatives that may help stimulate business.
Q: Why should people vote for you?
A: I love Sylvan Lake! I am energetic, and I care about making a difference in our growing community that my family along with other Sylvan Lakers will enjoy for generations to come. One of the platforms I ran on in 2013 was increased communication. Since then, I have kept an active social media page with weekly if not daily updates for the entire past four years, and have followed up on every single personal phone call, email, or request to connect over a coffee with a Sylvan Laker. I feel that I have proven my commitment to ongoing communication, and shown that I am true to my word. If re-elected I look forward to continuing to grow, it has been such a honor to serve in Sylvan Lake!
Charles Everest
Charles Everest has been a small business owner in Sylvan Lake for 15 years, working previously as the general manager of the Wild Rapids Waterslide Park.
Everest has also spent time as a volunteer in many organizations and events around town.
Through his work as a business owner and as a volunteer, he says he has built relationships with the residents and the municipality.
Q: What would you like to see changed?
A: As general manager of the water slides for 15 years, and two summers of diving on the lake bed, the general health of our lake has become a concern for me personally.
Q: What do you want to accomplish on Town Council and how will you get it done?
A: Small business, a crucial part of any community requires support and advocacy, and an environment that fosters new business opportunities and development. My work background encompasses budget forecasting and management.
Q: Why should people vote for you?
A: I understand the level of time, energy and enthusiasm it takes our counsellors to commit to this leadership role, and I look forward to bringing my experience and insights to the table to join the dedicated team of counsellors who are committed to the collective vision in making Sylvan Lake Brilliant all Year.
Kendall Kloss
Kendall Kloss is a teacher in Sylvan Lake, currently he teaches at Ecole Steffie Woima School, though he has previously taught at Ecole H.J. Cody School and Ecole Fox Run School. He has also taught abroad in Los Angeles, Vicente Guerrero, Mexico and Macau, China.
Kloss has also sat as a school board chairman. He has also worked as a journeyman crane operator, a battery operator, and has worked towards his designation as a fourth class power engineer.
Q: Why are you running?
A: Sylvan Lake is a fantastic community, it is a strong community, and we need passionate, dedicated and knowledgeable people that reflect the forward thinking of Sylvan Lake. Sylvan Lake has the opportunity to demonstrate to other municipalities how a community can thrive within limits and still be a prosperous and attractive community to be a part of. Over the past fifteen years I have intentionally centered my professional and personal goals around serving my community in our schools, volunteering and listening to residents. I believe that with the right strategic priorities in place, we can work together to keep Sylvan Lake moving forward.
Q: What do you want to accomplish on Town Council and how will you get it done?
A: There are several current projects in motion, the modernization of infrastructure, the linking of communities through trails, the province handing over the lakefront to the Town of Sylvan Lake and the improvement of recreational facilities, all of which I am excited to see through to fruition. Opportunities for the advancement of the arts in the downtown that will engage residents is the possibility of an amphitheatre on the newly acquired land west of Chateau Suites. Accessing grants/funds through the Canada Council for the Arts to subsidize the costs associated with the building is one of many ways I would work to ensure fiscal responsibility in development. Advocating for our long term residents to increase the number of facilities and give them security is a conversation I want to have. Communicating with developers on the long term viability of serving our long term residents, while adhering to parking and building bylaws, is a topic I want to explore further.
Q: Why should people vote for you?
A: What I bring to the table is experience. I am engaged in and connected to our community. My professional and personal development place the needs of each resident and our community first. Supporting local businesses by spending local is a top priority for me. As a fresh face I bring a “community first” approach that is founded in my long term goals, diverse experience working with Sylvan Lakers and using these experiences to strengthen Sylvan Lake as a more sustainable place to live, work and play.