Pamela Kunz Wants to Bring Trust Back to City Council

Pamela Kunz wants to bring to council her experience as a community group board member, business owner and manager over the last three decades in Medicine Hat as she seeks election this fall.

She says her strengths are being a task-driven individual with business sensibilities and experience along with having a track record in personnel management.

Communication is also on that list.

“Instead of just telling, explaining and that’s a skill set that I have that I think will be highly beneficial,” Kunz said.

Regaining trust between the trifecta of council, city administration and residents will be a priority if she’s elected, said Kunz.

“I think we’ve lost that trust and everything that seems to be brought forward now is shadowed in mistrust,” she said.

That has resulted in residents feeling city hall is misleading residents, “so we are not getting anywhere.

Kunz was to the point regarding the challenges which will be faced by a new council in regaining the trust of residents.

“Honestly, I don’t know how that is going to happen because we may end up with an entirely new council that will have to get to know each other and how to work together and we don’t know what administration is going to look like going forward,” she said.

Nonetheless, navigating the choppy waters the city is currently in will be a priority, said Kunz.

“I would like to see those problems solved very quickly so we can move forward,” she said.

Kunz said that will need to be done to allow council to focus on economic development, including a review of past efforts on the issue.

“I think we need to go back a few years and see what opportunities have been brought to Medicine Hat and why they didn’t flourish,” she said, adding stymied business development is a sentiment she has heard during engagement with the public. “I just feel like we’ve missed the mark a lot in the past few years and I don’t know why.”

On the issue of transparency, it again comes down to trust, she said.

Kunz says her experience on community boards has demonstrate there are times where it is appropriate to have closed sessions for open discussion amongst members.

“Sometimes it’s a little time to be able to say what needs to be said so that when we are presenting to the public it makes sense,” she said. “When you don’t trust that it’s not going to make sense because you believe other things are done and said.”

But until community trust is rebuilt, “we’re going to have a little bit of a struggle about that,” said Kunz.

To get the city on track, Kunz said a clear strategic plan developed early during the council term with clear definitions which are followed will be key to success.

“Right now, we’re kind of throwing things out there hoping they will work. When you don’t have structure, it doesn’t work,” she said.

The candidate nomination period for the 2025 municipal election ends on Sept. 22.

The election will be held on Oct. 20.

Candidates who would like to have an election profile broadcast and published by the Medicine Hat Owl can contact alexmccuaig@comtv.ca to schedule an interview.