Pair of county councillors announce re-election bids
Cypress County Coun. Alf Belyea is running for re-election in Ward 9 Jenner/Suffield this fall.
Belyea moved to the hamlet of Suffield in 2010 after retiring from the logging industry in British Columbia, and was acclaimed in the byelection of 2014 after former reeve Bob Olson stepped down.
Belyea, who was raised on a B.C. dairy farm, admits it has been a steep learning curve coming on council.
“This is a big area, and you got to be on top of things,” he says. “You have to be open minded and you have to listen. The first term was a good learning experience for me, and now that I have got my feet wet I figure, why not give it another shot? I think I owe it back to the county.”
Belyea has had to deal with some big files in his ward the past three years, including the recent ranch quarantines, ongoing issues with Suffield’s water supply and managing the sensitive relationship with CFB Suffield.
“With the quarantine, the most essential thing you could do was do good letters of support and have the ratepayers understand you were there to support them in any way you could,” he says.
Suffield’s water supply however, has been a trickier proposition to manage. The county is building new water and sewer lines in the hamlet, but the question of future supply remains uncertain. Cypress County’s water supply agreement with CFB Suffield is set to expire in three years.
“When we met with the base they said we would like to see you people doing something to show you are moving ahead at trying to get your own water supply into the town,” recalls Belyea. “Hopefully, we as a council start looking this term at getting a water line from Redcliff or Medicine Hat out this way. There would also be a good opportunity to possibly start a water co-op along the way. Potable water is important for so many places in the county, and we got to move ahead on that.”
Belyea says if elected he will continue to work hard for all county residents.
“There are nine wards and we are all equal. Population does dictate some things, but you have to be fair for everybody. I am not into favouritism. I look at the big picture, and that’s how I (make my decisions). I want the county to move ahead. I don’t want us to be stuck in one spot. The way the world is turning right now, you can’t drag your feet.”