Councillor Tanya Thorn announced this afternoon (June 9) that she won't be running as a town councillor in this fall's municipal election, but instead, as a mayoral candidate.

Thorn made the announcement at Hub Town Brewing, and it was streamed live to Facebook.

"I am passionate about this community and I'm ready to lead us forward with some new energy and new thinking. I believe to create great government, you need to create a strong trusting relationships with the people in our community and [its businesses.] We need to work together to achieve a shared vision which strengthens our resiliency and continues to create an exceptional community with opportunities for our kids, our families, and our seniors to thrive."

Thorn emphasized transparency and communication with residents if elected.

She also spoke of her plan to sign the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association Pledge, committing her to "Keeping local elections local, maintaining independence and non-partisanship, demonstrating transparency, and engaging in respectful behaviour," and encouraged other candidates to do so.

Thorn's name has been a common one to hear brought up when it comes to this fall's election, especially following the news that Mayor Bill Robertson would not be seeking reelection this year.

"I don't know if it was really a secret, I'll be honest! It's probably one of the worst-kept secrets. I certainly have been getting pushed pretty hard for the last three months to consider putting my name in the ring and it's always been in the back of my mind, but I tried to keep it suspenseful."

With two terms on council under her belt, she thinks residents are likely to already have a pretty good idea of what they can expect from her if elected.

"I think what you've seen out of me over the last eight years, you'll continue to see. I tend to be 'tell it like it is,' I'm very authentic, I build relationships, I want to listen, I want to learn. I think those are signs of good leadership."

Though Okotoks has seen four female mayoral candidates in its 116-year history, the town has had only one female mayor in the form of Sandi Kennedy, first elected in 1989 and reelected in 1993.

 

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