Mayor Chichak drops political bomb, puts her name forward for UCP nomination

 

There was a bit of a shake up in Whitecourt politics last week as Mayor Maryann Chichak announced on April 3 that she has put her name forward for the United Conservative Party and, specifically, for the West Yellowhead riding. The widespread area was newly reconfigured to include Whitecourt, Edson, Hinton, Jasper, and Grande Cache.

Prior to the fall election, Maryann was asked if she had ambitions to run provincially again as she did several years back when she ran for the Wildrose Party and at the time her answer was no. Now, with her revelations of wanting to run, some residents are asking why she said no just six months ago. Maryann said at the time she didn’t have plans to run. “When I took the mayor’s chair for the second time in 2017 it was with the focus of keeping this chair until 2021 and then retiring, but I look at the direction we are going provincially and federally, and there are so many things that have impacted our province and continue to.”

Maryann said she credits her roles in municipal government as a reason for her wanting to go further because she has been able to see problems first hand. “I’ve had the opportunity to understand a lot of the issues within not only Whitecourt and Woodlands County, but also the area of West Yellowhead because they mirror a lot of our own issues.”

She lists the carbon tax and the Caribou Range Plan as two of the big issues that are causing grief in the region and feels she could be beneficial to both Whitecourt and the region if she had a provincial platform. “I’ve always talked about the fact that I feel like I’m on a hamster wheel when we talked about Caribou Range Plan because we keep talking but never get anywhere.”

Another area that led to her decision is health care. “I look at all the increases in health care costs and we don’t have any changes to service at all or any increased access. With rural areas I sometimes think that access to health care has been abandoned in terms of increasing service levels.”

One of the biggest issues that Maryann pointed to is the budget process and how it allows provincial and federal governments to go into debt, seemingly without recourse. “As an elected municipal politician, we have to run a balanced budget and it absolutely blows my mind that those rules do not apply in a provincial or federal basis. We, as residents, home owners, and business owners, understand budgeting and we must live within our own means. We also know that there are consequences if we don’t. I look at our province and the debt we are starting to accumulate, and I look at the potential for 96 billion dollars in a few years. That’s a debt my grandchildren will still be paying for.”

Some residents have questioned her party affiliation and are wondering where she stands since she works well with both the provincial and federal governments and has previously run for the Wildrose Party.  “I’ve always been a fiscal conservative and I’ve never wavered from that. On a council, we sit as independents and we don’t represent a party, so we work with whatever government is in power and respect the democracy process both provincially and federally whether it aligns with our own views or not.”

Another question brought forward by residents online was how she could be mayor while also working towards the nomination, and if it was even allowed. This isn’t the first time that a sitting Whitecourt mayor has put his or her name forward for a provincial nomination while holding office. Back in 2000, then mayor George VanderBurg put his name forward for the PC nomination and ultimately won his seat as MLA the following year.

When asked how she plans to balance being mayor and the nomination process, Maryann said her role as mayor comes first. “I want to assure the people of Whitecourt that I’ll be doing this on my own time. Whether that is by scheduled events that will be on weekends when I don’t have events here to attend and for me it will be business as usual until the writ is dropped provincially. It will be totally separate. I have committed to my role as mayor.” Maryann said if she is nominated she would apply for a one month leave of absence from her duties on town council until the day of the provincial election.

If she is successful, she would immediately step down as mayor to claim her position with the provincial government as VanderBurg did. “I hope the people of Whitecourt see it as a good opportunity not only for our community but for the region as well, to have a strong voice and support in the provincial government.” As for the empty spot on council, Maryann said it would be up to council to decide how to proceed. “Normally, if there is a vacancy within a year of the next municipal election you can opt to keep your council intact and not hold an extra election.”

Residents have voiced concerns over how she can give 100 per cent to being mayor while also focusing on an even bigger position. Rightfully so, residents want to know their mayor would still be able to properly do the job they voted her in for. “Having me as a mayor for a community or as an MLA, I’m still the same person. I’m still an individual who will always voice the concerns of the people I represent. So, no matter what, win or lose, I’ll always be here listening to the people of our community and seeing how I can help them,” Chichak said.

To ask questions, voice concerns, and keep watch on her campaign, join her Facebook page Maryann Chichak, Nomination Candidate for UCP West Yellowhead.