Div. 4 voters will have a candidate to fill the seat vacated by Bud Massey.
John Zeise started his campaign early at the Westlock and District Ag Fair Aug. 18-20, driving a pickup truck with his name and campaign poster on the back.
“Everybody wants to talk to the talk, but nobody wants to walk the walk,” he said about stepping up. “There’s some pretty important issues going on right now in the county that maybe my vote will help decide or help make the right decision.”
As a councillor, Zeise hoped to lend his input on the Tawatinaw ski hill situation, which he supported keeping, as well as what is happening in the county industrial park, though he preferred to keep his opinion close to his chest on that issue.
However, he was willing to say that council needed to get its authority back from administration.
Zeise was born and raised in Westlock County and has lived in various parts throughout the years, settling now in Div. 4 and working in Clyde taking care of livestock near the auction mart.
Having lived in the area his whole life, his campaign is about getting along with the other councillors and doing what is right for the people.
“I think I’m a people person,” he said. “That’s for sure one thing we have to be able to do as a council and a county. If you can’t get along with the people in the other divisions, it’s pretty tough to make the right decision.”
If elected, that also would extend to building a better relationship between the county and the Town of Westlock.
However, he was hesitant to expect change if only two three fresh faces joined council and encouraged more residents to run.
Although he hasn’t sat in on a council meeting, Zeise said his advantage is coming to the table with a fresh set of eyes.
“Maybe it’s good to go in there completely blind,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to go to a county meeting and start forming opinions.”
That coupled with his involvement in 4-H, minor hockey, Endurance Riders of Alberta and the Dapp Community Council have all given him experience with boards and working with others.
Div. 4 residents looking for honesty and integrity should vote for him, he said.
“I’m not just running for Div. 4; I’m running for the county,” he said. “Hopefully after four years, if I get elected, I can still walk down the street and talk to people.”
