While Cochrane Mayor Ivan Brooker hasn't officially declared his candidacy, he already has one challenger.

Yesterday, Thomas (Tom) Hardy, 24, registered his intentions with the town to run for mayor and is in the early stages of planning his campaign with agent Jack Tennant.

A lifelong resident of the Cochrane area, Hardy believes there are better ways to manage Cochrane's growth and to consult with the public. He is concerned with transparency, believes infrastructure must be implemented differently and wants to explore ways to aid the growth of our business sector so we do not fall further into the trap of being a bedroom community for Calgary.

Young as he is, Hardy has been involved in local campaigns in the past and was part of David Smith's mayoral run in 2013. His mother, Cheryl, is a long-time active organizer and volunteer in the community.

"I believe there are things we can do better," says Hardy. "As I see it now there are a lot of decision made with lacklustre consultation."

One example he points to is the on-again, off-again approach to the new off-leash park next to Hwy. 22 and believes rather than suddenly changing gears, the town should have allowed for further input from the public.

"If such errors are put forward, open it up for further discussion. Rather than suddenly kiboshing the whole project, offer a second round of public consultation."

While not opposed to growth, Hardy believes Cochrane should have more rigorous standards in place to ensure safety and interlinking neighbourhoods.

Currently a resident of Heartland, he points to the lack of a safe corridor for those cycling on Hwy. 1A and says it's dangerous to pedal along a route without shoulders. He also is concerned many of our residential areas have been approved with only one entrance/exit and doesn't rule out of the possibility of retroactively looking at these development.

"I'm not specifically going to say we aren't doing any developments, but I want to make sure everything is put together properly," says Hardy.

"For any future developments, we need to have have a more rigorous process by which we review them. Are we actually going to have these things put in place right away? Make that one of the first things; have two entrances and exits."

He also believes we need to be there for our businesses so we simply don't become a bedroom community for Calgary.

"We're seeing tons of businesses falling, left, right and centre. Just the other day Big Hill Pizza announced they were closing and that has been an institution in Cochrane. The Cochrane Cafe was around forever; it has closed its doors."

"We need industry, we can't be just a bedroom community; we need to have things put in place that allow us to succeed on our own."

Hardy doesn't pretend to have all the answers but believes his education in health sciences gives him the tools to explore issues and take a stand.

"One thing I know how to do extremely well is research. I can research my points, I can get that information and I can make informed decisions once I've had a chance to look into it."

Hardy plans to start actively campaigning shortly and is currently putting together his team that places emphasis on quality of life.

"I think it's time to take a step back and make sure we're not just trying to bring people into Cochrane but improving the quality of life while they're here."

So far, Brooker has declined to officially state whether he will be seeking re-election, saying he is currently focusing on town business at hand.

Brooker is away on holidays and was unavailable for comment.

Only one other candidate has officially registered as a candidate. Dan Cunin announced his intentions to make a second bid for Cochrane town council. He ran unsuccessfully in the 2013.