I’m Debby Babych and I’m asking for your support to be a town councillor because I believe that I can help make a positive impact in the community.
My grandparents moved to the Ponoka area in 1961 and that farm remains in our family. I grew up on that farm, west of town, and graduated from Ponoka Secondary.
After earning a Bachelor of Education, I began my career as a teacher in Edson, Alberta, but I returned to Ponoka a few years ago to teach Grades 1 and 2 in Mirror. I have two adult children, Stephanie, who works as a journalist at the Calgary Herald, and Jordan, who is a correctional officer.
I believe my more than 20 years of experience as a teacher have provided me with many of the necessary skills to serve as your town councillor. I engage well with others, I have strong integrity and empathy, and I am resourceful.
If I am voted in, I look forward to collaborating with the other councillors and mayor to improve the community and help its residents however we can. It is important to be a local government that continually looks for ways to better people’s lives and well-being. I am running for the first time because I care about this community and want to represent the people of Ponoka.
The three ways I want to help Ponoka are:
1. By making sure everyone feels supported and heard by their local government. This will be one of my priorities as councillor because I believe we should strive to be a community where everyone feels safe, supported and appreciated.
2. The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a toll on people’s lives, with an especially significant impact on people’s financial stability and physical and mental health. As we work to recover from the effects of the pandemic, we must work together to lift up those in need. We can partner with local non-profits and make sure everyone has access to mental health resources.
3. Small and locally-owned businesses are essential to a thriving community, so we need to support them and encourage new businesses into town. We can accomplish this with strategic investment, meaningful incentives and targeted promotion of our local businesses.