While Coun. Morgan Nagel’s petition had garnered the support of nine election candidates by press time, his tactic to appeal to the next council to slow down growth and development and focus on traffic solutions has ruffled some feather.
Candidates Miles Chester and Bella Fallis, who along with Nagel are seeking a seat on the next council, both take issue with an email sent out by Nagel last week.
In the email, which Nagel sent out to all candidates on Oct. 7 he gave candidates an option to sign his petition and also told them he would, upon request, publicly share their names on social media to tell the public who supports his platform. The email also came with an Oct. 9 deadline to respond.
“I certainly think it was an aggressive tactic … people in this town don’t take kindly to this type of politics,” said Chester, who last served on council in 2007-2010.
“It doesn’t work for me. It feels wrong for me to collaborate with another group of potential councillors.”
Fallis said she felt Nagel’s approach was an unfair pressure tactic that posed a veiled threat – implying candidates who do not pen their name to the petition are not in support of slowing down development and fixing traffic.
“It circumvents the democratic process,” she said, adding that mixing campaigning and petitioning together is not favourable.
Nagel asserts that he was only after what townspeople have asked for – to learn which candidates stood where on matters such as aggressive development, fast-paced growth and traffic congestion.
“I want as many candidates to be a part of that movement as possible,” he said, emphasizing that he has not endorsed any candidates in this election and has fielded daily requests from voters seeking his opinion on which candidates are most aligned with his vision for the town.
The councillor said he felt this was the best way to provide equal opportunity and demonstrate inclusivity without actually endorsing any other candidates.
“I don’t think it’s fair for me to endorse anyone … my entire campaign is about changing the direction of our town council,” he explained, adding that any perception of a veiled threat was simply a misinterpretation of his intentions.
Candidates Alex Reed and Marni Fedeyko are on the list of signing candidates who attached their names to Nagel’s online petition, which has more than 600 signatures to date.
“To me, it has less to do with the petition and more about my acknowledgment that Cochrane residents have not been happy with growth and development,” said Fedeyko.
“I can understand that some candidates may have felt Morgan’s email was aggressive … but I guess I look at it in a way that Morgan is hoping to see some support if he is reelected, since often times he was the (lone) voice of opposition.”
Reed said it’s all about sending the message that it’s time for town council to take the reins back.
“Having heard while door knocking, as well as given my experience as chair of the Cochrane Planning Commission for the last few years, I have both seen and heard firsthand how town council has lost its way – placing residential growth over our citizens quality of life and developers profit ahead of proper infrastructure. So, it's time and appropriate to take a stand and make a change.”
Chester and Fallis, like all other candidates, have expressed a desire for Cochrane to move forward with slow, managed growth and to focus on traffic congestion – an issue that Chester has made integral to his platform.
