Kim Craig. (Town of Coaldale)

By David Opinko

Kim Craig not running for re-election as mayor of Coaldale

May 20, 2021 | 12:58 PM

COALDALE, AB – After 17 years on Coaldale Town Council, Kim Craig is hanging up his boots.

He says he began contemplating his future back in the fall of 2020 and realized that it was the right time to leave municipal politics and not run for re-election this fall.

Craig had one term as a town councillor before becoming mayor for four consecutive terms.

He has not made a formal public announcement at this time but allowed LNN to run this article. However, he has already heard from some of his constituents.

“I was very heartened by the fact that most of the people when I said no, really tried their hardest to talk me out of it and they said we would like you to stay on. They believed that council has done a good job and they have appreciated my leadership, so I took heart in those positive words.”

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There were several factors leading to this decision including both personal and professional ones, as well a heated conflict between the town, a group of former town employees, and the advocacy group Citizens for a Better Coaldale.

Issues aside, Craig believes it was time to move on.

He recalled watching a show recently where a character said “the problem with politics nowadays is most of the people in politics are male, pale, and stale,” believing this is a potential opportunity for council to have some more diversity going forward.

The mayor recalled some of what he considers to be the highlights of his tenure.

Perhaps most significantly was working to bring more commercial and industrial businesses to Coaldale when he first took office.

“It was heavily skewed towards residential property tax – about 92 per cent that way and the rest of it was non-residential. I really thought one of the ways to help Coaldale would be to find a way to diversity that. When I drive around the industrial park [now], I am just elated to think that we’re just so close to having the industrial park totally sold out.”

Nowadays, he reports that around 15 per cent of Coaldale’s taxes come from non-residential sources.

Other key achievements include working on improving the stormwater system, getting a new RCMP building that is set to open this year, having the new high school and rec centre funded, work on beautifying main street, and planning for the new town office known as Civic Square.

“I think it’s sort of a real neat thing to almost say that you can go out on the top of your game, I guess, many achievements over the span of the last two decades.”

Once he leaves office, Craig plans to maintain his job as a financial planner with Quintus Financial.

He and his wife are downgrading their home. Their house in Coaldale was 1,600 square feet with six bedrooms, and with just the two of them still living in it full time, they looked elsewhere outside of Coaldale.

Overall, Craig says he is happy with how things turned out during his time on town council but hopes that the community can repair itself and be the “kind, friendly community that Coaldale has been known for.”

As of this publication, the Town of Coaldale’s website does not have anyone listed as a mayoral candidate for the October 18 municipal elections.

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