Barry Kalinski is asking for your vote for Reeve of the M.D. of Bonnyville

Barry Kalinski at the request of a large number of residents in the Municipal District of Bonnyville (M.D.) has put his name in as a candidate for the Reeve of Council at the forthcoming Municipal Election on October 18.

Kalinski was born and raised  in the LaCorey and Iron River area was raised by his Father Nick and Mother Shirley.

“They said they think they did a good job, I think they did,” Kalinski told Michael Menzies on Lakeland Connects Meet the Candidate series.

Kalinski is a family man, has four sons, and has been happily married for 36 years. Kalinski has over ten years of experience with the M.D. Council and believes he can make a difference as its leader if elected. In his former terms with M.D. Council he was successful in making sound decisions which helped establish much of the infrastructure located in the M.D. today.

“Thinking back, we had a lot of directors that helped us, you know, building these buildings, it just wasn’t Council,” Kalinski said. “We all made those decisions, we had a lot of people in the backgrounds, the directors and their staff that pointed us in the right direction, how to go about building these buildings. I’m very proud of a lot of the buildings that we built in M.D. We built a lot of roads, and completed a lot of road work such as paving and resurfacing of roads.”

Kalinski says he has been approached many times by residents to run for the Reeve position and believes he is up for the task.

“I guess I just didn’t wake up one morning and decide I’m going to run for Reeve,” Kalinski said. “People just started phoning me a month and a half ago. You know, one after another is texting me and there there was a lot of concerns.”

Kalinski says people talked about foolish spending by the current M.D. Council. They also voiced their concerns about the Bonnyville Regional Fire Authority.

“People trust my judgment and trusted me when I was on M.D Council,” Kalinski said. “I am very thankful for the people and their support of me to run for Reeve. I had to ask my wife because it’s a family decision that you just can’t go do it yourself, you have to have backing from your wife and family. They said Dad, you go and you put your full heart into it and serve the people the M.D. So, here I am.”

Kalinski says transparency and accountability are important for taxpayers, something the current M.D. Council is failing to do.

“Many people are following talks about why the M.D. Council is always meeting in camera,” Kalinski said. “If you’re in camera all the time there are problems, that means financial problems, problems with staff, people are suing you for no better word.”

Kalinski says there’s a lot of problems if your meetings are forever in camera that’s telling him and the taxpayers that there’s a lot of problems here in the M.D.

“We need to get out of that,” Kalinski said. “I know when I used to sit on Council and we went into camera, you know it was only for 15 minutes to discuss a little thing that came up, or to make a proper motion.”

Kalinski says he read a motion from June minutes from the M.D. Council which raised his eyebrows.

“The council made a motion. ‘I move to purchase the land as discussed,’ what kind of motion is that people,” Kalinski said. “How much for the land, what land, did they buy a popsicle making plant on Main Street, or did they buy a condo in Mexico. What does that mean? Transparency, you need to tell the people what you’re doing.”

Reducing in camera sessions and backroom deals will be one of Kalinski’s top priorities when elected as Reeve.

On October 18 vote for transparency, accountability, and integrity. Vote Barry Kalinski for Reeve of the M.D. of Bonnyville.

 

 

 

 

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