Ernest Mudie will seek a second council term in Cypress County
First-term Coun. Ernest Mudie is running for re-election in Ward 3 (Elkwater) in Cypress County this fall.
Mudie is a farmer in the Cypress Hills area, and is known as a bit of a scrapper on council, often needling other councillors and making pointed comments during debate.
“It is always a battle to get attention for my area,” explains Mudie. “On council we sit there and complain about the provincial government, and talk about the southeast being the forgotten corner. While my area is the southeast of the southeast, and within the county the same seems to apply. You have to keep speaking up and putting it out there if you want your issues addressed. You have to speak up for your area.”
Mudie feels he has been an effective representative for both his ward and for the county as a whole.
“Highlights for me have been establishing the OneFour Fire Department was a big one, getting the fire hall for OneFour, getting the 20-year-old sewer project completed in Elkwater, and getting streets there which were dirt, mud and gravel resurfaced to last longer. I am proud of the undeveloped road allowance gravel program, which helps our rural farmers. Getting the road ban lifted on the Eagle Butte road so people can get a road permit to haul their products to and from their farms.
“And as a county as a whole, we completed the regional waterline to Irvine and Walsh, and helping to get water to the Walsh rural water co-op. We have also restructured the county office to make it more efficient and upgraded our IT drastically.”
Mudie is aware of criticisms out there about how much this council has spent on major infrastructure projects the past four years, but feels those projects have been worth every cent.
“I think this council has done a lot in four years. Yes, we have spent a lot of money. A lot of it was reserve money which was set aside for these projects years ago, but I think we have brought in new and better ways of doing things at the county.”
Mudie says he has achieved a lot in his first term on council, and hopes voters will re-elect him in October.
“I believe it is important for us to provide services to our ratepayers, and every ratepayer is important to me. I will continue to do my best for them,” he says.