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Local businessman endeavours to continue serving on Town council

Voters head to the polls on Oct. 18
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Graham Parsons

An incumbent member of Sylvan Lake’s town council and a local businessman, Graham Parsons, is running for the position of a councillor for next term, endeavouring to continue his work in benefit of the community.

“My motivation for running is, I love the job! I have spent the majority of my adult life, 47 years living in this town, involved in community life. My passion is promotion, marketing and moving forward, to show our uniqueness to the world. Sylvan Lake has grown to be a real ‘player’ in the province,” shared Parsons, adding, “We are no longer a sleepy summer resort, nor a bedroom community to Red Deer. We are real and I want to be a part of that.”

Parsons, who is a husband, a father of two, and a grandfather of four, is also a huge community supporter and a hockey enthusiast. Initially moving to Sylvan Lake as part of a group of sportsmen and developers with a vision for the future of this town, Parsons has continued to serve as an active member of the community since 1973, channeling his efforts towards several volunteer initiatives.

Parsons had managed the Sylvan Lake Arena for a few years in the past, served as a board member on the Sylvan Lake Recreation Board, was the Chairman of the 2014 Sylvan Lake Kraft Hockeyville Committee, is currently the Chairman of the Spirit of Sylvan Yuletide Committee, among a list of other contributions.

Inspired by his passion and background in hockey, Parsons also served as a board member of Hockey Alberta Operations Advisory Committee, and the Zone 4 Chairman for Hockey Alberta Board of Directors, while working with several other hockey-related groups. One of his prominent ventures has been the initiation of his business, the Sylvan Lake Summer Hockey Camp, which he continues to run.

If elected, Parsons shared that he would aim to continue moving forward to further the community of Sylvan Lake. “There is so much ready to go. Pogadl Park and a myriad of events and festivals that have been bottled up for the past 20 months are just a few that capture my enthusiasm. There are six active subdivisions ready to welcome more people to our town. A wise man told me years ago that, ‘when a town stops growing, it starts to die.’ I don’t want that to ever happen here but, we must manage that growth wisely. We have to work with developers to make sure proper plans move forward with a vision what it will look like 50 or 60 years from now,” he shared.

“My experience as a local business owner has turned out to be valuable in my role as a councillor. I know the value of community and what it takes to maintain the balance between economy, fiscal responsibility, and municipal services, including, very importantly, social services,” Parsons concluded.