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Wetaskiwin mom, businesswoman seeks UCP nomination

New constituency and new provincial party on ballot in 2019
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When the next provincial election rolls around in the spring of 2019, there will be a new constituency name and a new political party name on the ballot.

One political candidate hopes her name will be on the ballot here too.

The next provincial election will be the inaugural one for the Maskwacis-Wetaskiwin constituency. It will also be the first time the United Conservative Party will be on a ballot.

Wetaskiwin parent and businesswoman Sandra Kim hopes it will be the first time her name appears on a provincial ballot. Kim told The Pipestone Flyer Apr. 18 in Millet that she intends to run for the UCP nomination in Maskwacis-Wetaskiwin.

Kim said the UCP nomination process for Maskwacis-Wetaskiwin will swing into high gear when the party’s local association holds its very first AGM Wed., May 17 at Montgomery Glens Golf Club in Wetaskiwin. The AGM starts at 7 p.m.

A new board of directors will be elected for the UCP association in Maskwacis-Wetaskiwin. After the board is chosen, they’ll form a nominating committee to hold a nomination race.

A lifelong resident of the Wetaskiwin area, Kim said she is a parent of five kids ranging in age from seven years to 25. She said she’s done a bit of everything in her life, including a home-schooling parent, businesswoman, consultant, advocate and firefighter.

Kim said she’s been into politics since the early 1990’s, when as a kid she volunteered at a federal campaign headquarters. “I have always been interested in multiple levels of politics,” said Kim.

Running for the UCP nomination here depended a lot on new party leader Jason Kenney, whom Kim recently met. She said she’s always been a fan of grassroots parties and Kenney has been touting his approach as such. Kim said she put forth two policies to Kenney, and he kept his word. The two policies are going through the party process.

“I was very happy to see my two policies go through the process,” said Kim.

She said that now that her kids are a bit older, she has the time to dedicate to serving the community as MLA. Kim said she’s been thinking about the 2019 election since the 2014 election, where the NDP won a majority government. “I have to be honest, the NDP winning in Alberta shocked me,” she said.

Kim said she’s not happy with the way the NDP government has introduced their ideology to government, especially the way the oil and gas industry has been treated.

Stu.salkeld@pipestoneflyer.ca