Jeff Reinhart is one of the three Okotokians running in the mayoral race.

Reinhart was born and raised in Okotoks and has remained in town to raise a family of his own.

For the last few years, he's worked as the maintenance manager at the Crystal Shores Beach House, tending to the beach in the warmer months, and stocking fish and maintaining hockey rinks in the colder months.

He was involved in the local hockey and baseball programs from a young age and eventually went on to take up coaching.

"When I became a young adult before I even had kids, I did help out with coaching some youth in hockey. I just kind of wanted to be a part of anything that I could, so when it got time to have kids of my own, I stepped in again to be part of the coaching process and all that. It's been really rewarding and fun. I love it."

Reinhart's father served on town council in the 1980s, giving Jeff a different view of the town as it grew into what it is today.

As the municipal election drew nearer, he thought he'd be a good option for fellow residents.

"At the time, there was only one person that had their hand up for mayor. I believe the Town of Okotoks needs more than one option. I thought, 'You know what? I love this town. I'm passionate about this town. It's in my blood, I want what's best for it. Why not?' People deserve a choice. I'm super excited to even be part of this conversation."

Like many Okotokians, water is one of the foremost issues on Reinhart's mind.

"From what I know, there's about five to seven years of water availability at our growth rate that we have now, so it's time for some quick solutions and some hard decisions."

Communication is something else he'd like to address by establishing a direct and clear means of contact between residents and their council.

He'd also like to foster new businesses in town as well as supporting existing ones, which he believes would ease the tax burden on residents.

Another source of revenue he'd like to build upon is Okotoks' capacity for hosting major sports and performance events.

"Another passion of mine, obviously, is youth sports. Recreation, arts and culture, that kind of stuff. If we bring stuff in that supports that, we can then host tournaments, provincials, concerts, recitals, all that kind of stuff which would then generate more business within the community and bring in people that stay in our hotels, use our gas stations, eat in our restaurants, shop in our stores."

He believes that would also build the town's reputation.

"That kind of stuff, I think, will give us an identity. I want to become a hub where people want to come."

 

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