Woodlands County Councillor Dave Kusch

Woodlands County Councillor Dave Kusch has only been in his seat for just under two years, after running in a by-election mid-term, but he already sees the impact he can have working with his fellow councillors. “I got a diploma in Business Management from NAIT, and my family has the Whitecourt Auto Mall, so I ran that for years. Whether it’s a business or the County, you have a budget, you have your clientele, you have a list of things you have to do or that has to get down, and it all has to be within the budget,” he explained.

Before the by-election opportunity, Kusch said that he had already decided to run in the next election. “I spoke with my wife, and we decided to try it out and see what happens. I put my name in, and then everything went fast from there.” Kusch was acclimated since he was the only one to put their name forward. “I figured I would put my name in and then learn from the election and get information for next time, but I didn’t expect to get in that quick.”

As an outsider looking in, Kusch said it’s easy to criticize things, and he wanted to see how things run on the inside. Getting right to work, learning the ropes and finding his footing, Kusch said he recognized that people think councillors have “infinite power” over things. “It sometimes feels like people think you can get stuff done or send somebody somewhere or get people to go do a job. You are more of a voice, one of seven, and you don’t have much say or pull on your own. It’s not that you can’t try and help people, but you’re reaching out to the administration and trying to get the help that way.”

In just under two years, Kusch said that so much change has already happened and that he is looking forward to where things go from here. “A lot of it, I think, is for the better, if you look at the financial position, where the county is at right now and to where they were before. We are trying to keep within budget instead of running over a whole lot. I joined council right in the middle of some tight budget talks, and now we have a goal, and we are trying to get to the goal post without moving it this time,” he explained.

At a recent meeting, Kusch brought up a concern in his area concerning dust control. The discussion with his fellow councillors resulted in a motion and the creation of a user-pay system. “It felt good. I was trying to find a feasible way to get a program brought back that helps the residents out without financially strapping the county. It felt good to get something out there that residents wanted and that the rest of council was on board with.”

He said that getting to phone those residents back to let them know the good news was a wonderful feeling. “They were grateful that somebody listened to them and that we took the time to look into it and made the program available to them. Whether they use it or not, or how many people choose to, is out of my hands, but just knowing the program is there and available again was good.”

Kusch and his wife have lived out in the Anselmo area for about eight years. “It’s a lot more private. You have all the subdivisions closer to Whitecourt and areas up in the hill, but I just wanted something where my neighbours are a little further away. I like the privacy and the seclusion of being out here. Both my children are born and raised out here, and we do a lot of horseback riding. There are a lot of beautiful trails in the county.” 

Kusch said that living in Woodlands County and enjoying the natural environment is the best way to be. “We go kayaking around Blue Ridge, and we like getting the boat out on the water at Goose Lake. We do lots of hiking too. There’s a ton of fun stuff to do out here, and we spend a lot of time outside. It’s a nice area, and we love to utilize it.”

Kusch said the Anselmo area is full of community-driven people that would give the shirt off their back. He considers himself to be open and encourages residents to call him to chat. “I’m not always able to answer the phone at the minute they call, but I always get back to people and am always as free as I can be for answering questions or trying to find solutions to stuff. I try to go out of my way to help people, whether it’s resolving issues over road maintenance or other stuff around here. That’s what I’m in this position for.”

Though Kusch will only be vying for votes in his area in the upcoming election and not the whole county, he said that the success of Woodlands County comes down to the entire puzzle and not just one piece. “Whether it’s in the Blue Ridge, or Goose Lake area, or Fort Assiniboine or closer to Whitecourt, everything that happens in those areas inadvertently affects every other area. If you take one of the puzzle pieces out, you don’t have the full view of everything going on. I represent this area, but the growth and prosperity of the county, in general, is the ultimate goal for council, and we have to look out for everyone’s needs. Obviously, the people voting here are the ones that are important for my vote, but the big thing is the prosperity of the area. The better the area does, the better everybody does.”