Ryan McMillan is running for Cochrane Town Council in the October 18th election.

In his campaign for council McMillan says, “The way in which I am running my campaign and my philosophy towards it is that I am going to be one of seven voices. So, as much as I want to promise all the things that we can accomplish, it has to be accomplished as part of a team and so one of the things that I believe I can bring to the table is that I am a good communicator, but I also have an emphasis on listening to the community and trying to accomplish those goals with a team. So, it’s not just an individual effort. I would encourage Cochrane to think through the team that they are going to be building for the next four years."

McMillan and his wife moved to Cochrane 13 years ago. In that time, they have purchased their first home, started their family, and a business. He says, “We have made some life-long friendships and it’s just where we want to be.”

McMillan started his own photography business about three and a half years ago and he says, “My concern is also for the Cochrane small business community. Being a small business owner myself, I know that small businesses are the backbone of our town because Cochrane is a very innovative and entrepreneurial town. Having a healthy business community means that families can pay their mortgages and can purchase groceries and can re-invest back into the community in different ways sports activities and such. Some of that does probably lie at the provincial level but whatever the town can do on a municipal level, I would love to help and support the small business community.”

Another topic on McMillan’s platform is Cochrane’s water rights. He says, “It’s been an ongoing issue for about ten years, I believe but Cochrane has to figure out its water rights and usage. I believe that there are restrictions on the Cochrane water consumption is capped off at the town at about 40,000 people but there are plans to see Cochrane grow to about 56,000. […] That’s been an ongoing process and we need to keep working on it because we are approaching that 40,000 mark pretty quickly now.”

Naturally, a Cochrane candidate must weigh in on the issue of town growth and McMillan is happy to comply, “I would like to see Cochranites be able to travel around their town a lot more easily before the town focuses on getting bigger. So, I feel like we have reached a pressure point where we need to address a lot of internal issues before we can actually grow bigger.”

One final note on Ryan McMillan’s campaign, you will not see any signs about town advertising his run for council. He admits, with a chuckle, that people are kind of electioned-out because of the Federal election and he is sick of seeing signs and he is sure that others are as well. That is not to say that he doesn’t understand the process for advertising and strategy, but he admits, “I just don’t see it as the best investment of resources and I think you can find ways to get your message out and get your name out and to reach people in ways that are less wasteful and conserve resources in a more responsible manner.”

The best way to learn more about Ryan McMillan and his bid for town council is through his Facebook page or to email him at vote4ryanmcmillan@gmail.com.