Scott Scott Gibson-Craig and his family may have only lived in Cochrane for just under two years, but his due diligence in research and attendance at council meetings will come in handy in his election bid for town council.

While determining whether he would put his name forward, he read the council meeting minutes of the last four years and has been attending council meetings regularly since the New Year to help him reach his decision.

"I was challenged by someone to say if I don't like it, do something about it, but do it informed. So I have spent the time informing myself and I have been looking into what has been done, what can be done and what I think is possible."

What he found left him with concerns and ideas.

"Build Cochrane Together" is his campaign theme and it's a three-pronged approach to address transportation, balance growth and reduce spending.

He says transportation goes beyond improving roads, it includes changing the way we get around Cochrane. He believes transit is part of that solution, especially with children and seniors.

"My children could take transit to Spray Lake (Sawmills Family Sport Centre) as opposed to me having to drive them and more than likely they'll use the facility more often. Plus, that means I 'm not making four trips on the roads needlessly."

He'd also like to see routes developed that would connect neighbourhoods without having to use our major transportation corridors.

Gibson-Craig says it's time for Cochrane to balance growth so more of the people who live in Cochrane can work here.

"We have to look at how we're going to balance the growth we've seen residentially. We need to investigate how we are going to bring jobs to Cochane, how we are going to bring industry to Cochrane and how we are going to get the people who live and have homes here to also work here."

The positive impacts would be multiple. It would keep more people in town shopping and supporting local restaurants, it would improve the employment opportunities in the community and it could potentially get rid of some of the bottlenecking in our transportation corridors.

As a software developer, Gibson-Craig knows there's the potential attracting even more technology companies than have already located to Cochrane and believes if the town makes its dark fibre available to companies  it would be an added incentive.

"Technology is going to continue to grow as an industry and everything is becoming more technically advanced,"

He doesn't discount the idea of attracting companies in other industries, either.

This is a good point to stop and discuss what baffles him about town council. He is amazed with how little time is spent debating decisions that have huge impacts, like adding a thousand homes or increasing spending on the new aquatic/curling centre, and how much time is spent on smaller issues that could be better managed by better dialogue within council and with the community, like the off-leash park, food trucks and the chicken coop pilot project.

In examining the last four years of minutes he believes this pattern is consistent and it's not just something that has occurred in the dying months of the existing council's mandate.

Part of that could be resolved by not limiting themselves to the option of a 'yes' or 'no' answer and instead use their authority to offer an alternative motion.

In building software, he points out the question commonly ask is "what else" can be done and then they debate pros and cons before reaching a decision.

"It's impossible to meet everyone's needs, but it is possible to meet most people's needs."

 He also believes spending can be prudent without cutting services.

"We need to start looking at what we are paying for the services we have and ensure we're getting the best value. The long-term benefit is you won't have to increase taxes or at least slow tax increases."

While he is new to the community, Gibson-Craig is active in the community. He volunteers with Helping Hands, has recently joined the Cochrane Lions Club and his family has volunteered at Footstock since they arrived in town.

"This is the place we want to be our home and the place our kids can call home and a place where maybe they'll live when they get older or bring our grandchildren to us for a visit..We didn't move here for the short term; we're living here for a long time."

"The reality is we're going to get bigger but we can still be bigger and keep that small-town feeling if we build Cochrane together."

Gibson-Craig is currently developing his communications for the election and for the time being is welcoming interested people to reach him at  scott@gibson-craig.com.