ROB MURRAY: Sean Krausert is running for Mayor of Canmore in the upcoming municipal election. Tell us a little bit about your background and your related experience for the job.

SEAN KRAUSERT: I’m an experienced leader. Besides being twice elected to council and involved on many boards and committees, including chair of Roam Transit for several years, I’ve also been a high level leader in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. Originally I was a lawyer, but most of my career has been as an Executive Director, Chief Operating Officer, and Director of Operations. I’ve also been a leader on social justice issues in the community with respect to suicide prevention, poverty, and mental health. I’m also the co-founder of the weekly free community dinner, Food and Friends, which to date has served close to 90,000 dinners. I’m also co-founder of the temporary emergency shelter program that ran this past winter called the REST Program. When on council, I developed a reputation as being very well-prepared and extremely accessible listener, one who was able to cut to the issue, bring about balanced amendments, and effectively contribute to the primary job of council which is making good decisions at the council table.

RM: You didn’t stand for election in the last go-around. Why are you back in 2021, and why the job of mayor?

SK: In 2017 I had to make the very hard decision not to run. My wife had been involved in a car accident and unable to work, and we were launching our kids heading out into the world. It just was not the right decision for my family for me to run then. I have had this election in mind to return to municipal politics for a number of years. I have been looking at the mayor’s role as one that fits very well with my skillset. I have a conflict resolution background, legal background, a lot of leadership background. When I was on council I believe I excelled in municipal governance.

RM: What would be your top or one of the top issues that you’re really passionate about and maybe some ideas you have?

SK: There are a few that come to the top for me. Affordability – this is the greatest challenge facing our community. It involves more accessible housing, but it’s much more than that – transportation, food security, participation in community activities. Of course, the greatest challenge facing our world aside from dealing with the pandemic is climate change. We must do our part to exceed our greenhouse gas reduction targets and be a leader for others. We also have to protect the environment, especially the wildlife corridors. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that we have to support each other as we all move through this pandemic and COVID recovery.

RM: You’ve been on the outside looking in the last four years. From your perspective, what’s something you think this past Council has done a good job tackling? Conversely, what’s something you feel they could have done a better job on?

SK: I just mentioned COVID recovery. Canmore has been very responsible in following health protocols and keeping the community safe for much of the pandemic. Our numbers have been relatively low, and when they did spike we recovered very quickly because I think that our residents have been very good at following protocols.

As far as things that they could have done better…as you know, hindsight is 20/20, I’m thinking with the Three Sisters issue, I would have approached it a different way, knowing what we know now. Having set a Terms of Reference, and then the developer doing their work for a few years and spending a ton of dough, and then coming back and then having it defeated really at the last part of the process…it’s not a good resolution for anyone. Going forward, depending on where things land with Three Sisters, and I don’t know if this will be in the mix or not, but I would have the public hearing at the time of setting Terms of Reference, and then set those terms in a way so that the developer can be more assured the time, effort, and money that they put in will be likely to be successful. If the community has heard at the front end, they can be assured that what is being developed will meet those concerns as determined by Council.

RM: If elected, how would you stay engaged with the people of the community?

SK: I’ve always been an accessible person. One way is to simply reach out and contact me. I do want to continue to have some sort of regular forum where people can touch base. I’ve used the Zoom Town Hall approach during the campaign. If that’s something people find useful I’d like to continue those. As a community, we have to make sure that we’re communicating well with all of our stakeholders. We don’t want anybody to learn about things that affect them at the last moment or when it’s written in the news. We want to have people engaged and learning about things that affect them as part of the process. That’s one of the challenges that we’ll have to overcome, as a community and a council.

RM: Is there another part of your platform or another issue that’s important to you that we haven’t really touched on yet?

SK: If people want to see my entire platform they can visit my website. I envision Canmore as a thriving, authentic mountain community for generations to come. A community that’s inclusive, compassionate, embraces diversity. It co-exists with natural beauty and the wildlife around us. It has opportunities for our kids who are raised here to stay here, to work, raise a family of their own, retire here, and age in place in comfort and care. It attracts services and professionals so that we don’t have to trek to larger centers for day-to-day needs. It has amenities and opportunity in recreation and the arts for all ages. It has right relations with our Indigenous neighbours and a healthy respect for the history of these lands and its people. And of course, while we’re welcoming visitors from all over the world, it still feels like our community, our home. I think voters have a real choice for mayor this election, candidates with very different skillsets, education, professional experience, and visions. I believe that I have the right combination of those to be an integral part of council and being the mayor of this community over the next critical four years.

RM: You mentioned your website. Are you on other platforms?

SK: I’m on Facebook as well as Instagram, and email. Feel free to reach out to me and ask any questions. I am here to listen.

Filed under: Canmore, Municipal Election