Kelti Baird, Lethbridge City Council candidate. (Photo credit: Samantha Machacek)

By Justin Goulet

Kelti Baird running for Lethbridge City Council in municipal election

Oct 3, 2021 | 6:05 AM

LETHBRIDGE, AB – Kelti Baird says it would be an honour to serve Lethbridge as a city councillor.

She’s one of the 32 candidates vying for a council seat in the 2021 municipal election. One of her priorities is addressing concerns around public safety.

Baird remarked that, “there is definitely a perception of not being safe in our downtown or in some of our commercial areas, in some of our older neighborhoods.”

“We need to address that as a city and take things on from more of a comprehensive standpoint. We’ve been relying on just enforcement and the justice system to kind of get things done for about the last 40 years or so, and it hasn’t really worked out.”

She added, “it’s time to start engaging in perhaps some more progressive policies, including social housing and social programs that will help address some of the drug use and criminal behavior in our community and hopefully get the perception that Lethbridge is unsafe minimized in the future.”

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Baird said coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, council needs to be able to move Lethbridge forward in a responsible manner, “as well as plan for a future with a climate crisis that is looming.”

“There are a couple of different issues on the table, and I think this budget cycle and this particular municipal cycle will be pretty instrumental in setting Lethbridge on a solid path forward.”

Baird told LNN that she has experience working with the city closely on the Municipal Planning Commission and believes running for council was the next logical step in her journey of community involvement in Lethbridge. She has also been a member of the board of directors for the Galt Museum & Archives.

“I’m familiar with how city council works as a governance board, what our reach is and what our responsibilities to the citizens are, and I think that we need a little bit more vision and a little bit more pushing forward on some of the more, maybe controversial measures in the city, such as addressing our homelessness crisis and drug abuse crisis.”

She said, “we need to address these issues that are sound scientifically and sound sociologically that previous councils may not have had the courage to embark upon.”

Additionally, Baird wants to address an issue of division in the Lethbridge community.

“It would truly be an honour to serve the community in this capacity [as a city councillor]. It’s kind of really exciting to be able to look at Lethbridge and see its incredible potential and be able to work towards something that benefits the community as a whole and brings people closer together.”

“I know that we have a divide issue in our community as well, and I do think that there are some things that city council can do to address issues of division and that kind of thing. That’s kind of what I’m hoping for.”

More on Kelti Baird is available here. General voting day in the 2021 municipal election is October 18.

Prior to general election day, advance voting opportunities are available in the city.

• October 8, 9, 10 – Exhibition Park drive-through (East)
• October 14, 15, 16 – ATB Centre (West)

For more coverage from Lethbridge News Now, visit our Municipal Election 2021 page here.