By Stephen Dafoe

Morinville – Councillor-Elect Sheldon Fingler will have little time to catch his breath after Thursday night’s by-election win. Set to be sworn in Monday night, Fingler will dive right in to his first council meeting and head off to the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association annual gathering the next morning.

Beyond that hectic start to his municipal career, Fingler said he is ready to roll. “It’s all about building our community,” he said shortly after getting the voters’ nod Thursday night. “The people spoke. There were a couple of major issues that they brought to the forefront. I think people want to see effective leadership. My campaign was built on the positive. I believe in Morinville. I believe in the community. I believe in everything about it.”

A resident of Morinville his entire life, Fingler said he feels strongly about the community and believes people value that attitude. “My plan is to work with the council we’ve already got and try to bring new ideas to it, but to help continue to make Morinville a better place,” he said. “I’m about growing and heritage and about doing it all in a positive way.”

With an active week next week and some heavy weeks ahead working on Budget 2013, Fingler said he is ready. “I’m no stranger to government, and I’m no stranger to politics,” he said. “By doing all the Capital Region Board meetings, I’ve had the opportunity to sit and talk with many mayors. I kind of get where they’re coming from and I’ve got sort of a unique advantage in that I come from a municipal background as well. I worked for the municipality. I’ve got a fundamental understanding of the workings from the ground up of the system.”

As councillor he is still planning to work from the ground up. “Even though I’ve got a seat on council, I’m going to be the guy working from the bottom, talking to the people in the trenches, and doing the best I can to work with people and help make Morinville a better place.”

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