TREENA MIELKE/Rimbey Review
A retired schoolteacher from Olds is letting his name stand as a nominee for the Wildrose Alliance candidacy in the Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre constituency.
Ed Wicks was elected as the first president of the constituency at the party’s founding meeting in January 2010.
He resigned as president in November of last year when it looked like the nomination race was about to begin.
“I was promoting the party, trying to convince people to run. I said it so many times, I think I convinced myself,” he said.
Wicks is excited to be part of the Wildrose Alliance party.
“I am an advocate of grassroots democracy and fiscal responsibility. I am committed to ensure that all voices are heard and have a chance to influence what the government does. The decisions are made at the base and are passed along to the top, even to the point of free votes in the legislature, which means true representative democracy where the MLA votes the way the constituents want, not the way the party tells you to.”
Being fiscally responsible is important to Wicks.
“I would like to see the government spend money as if it was their own,” he said. “Do we really need gold door knobs when brass ones would do just fine?”
Health care decisions need to be made locally, he said. “One size does not fit all.”
He said policies that would reduce expenses and wait times as well as allow for more available senior’s facilities including increased home care to long-term care, need to be implemented.
Wick wants to see sustainable, responsible use of the West Country.
“It goes without saying that the Conservative property rights and transmission line policies have to be cancelled and new citizen friendly legislation has to replace them.”
Wick is married to Joyce and the couple has three adult children and seven grandchildren.