Sylvan Lake’s next mayor needs support of the majority of residents, said Matt Prete who announced this week he will be seeking a seat on council instead of vying for the top position.
“Whoever wins the election needs a clear mandate,” he said. “I see Susan (Samson) as status quo and Sean (McIntyre) as seeking a new direction. For two of us to run on the same platform muddies the water.”
Prete added that there was the possibility of he and Sean splitting the vote and then Susan winning the election without that clear mandate.
“I’m supporting Sean in the election. I realize if he wins he’s going to need help making changes. If I get on council we agree on enough things that I can help him,” Prete said.
One of his biggest reasons for running is to get more engagement with the public and the community rather than an ‘us versus them’ situation. “Let’s decide together what we should do for the community. That’s a pretty important issue to me.”
He noted the Pattern Book is another issue. It needs to be revisited because it’s too restrictive for businesses.
“I see a lot of similarities between our campaigns,” he said of his and McIntyre’s ideas.
With Prete’s decision, there are now just two declared candidates for the town’s top elected position, current mayor Susan Samson and councillor Sean McIntyre.