Thank You Grande Prairie!

Grande Prairie: thank you! I am both humbled and encouraged by your support. I'm excited for the next four years.

I couldn’t have done it without the support of Naomi Bressey. She held the home fort down so I could be out there campaigning. She encouraged me when I was sure I had no chance. She kept me humble when I was getting ahead of myself. Most importantly, over the past 14 years she has taught me how to listen well.

Thank you to all my friends who have supported me throughout. Your encouragement was often needed, and so was your advice. I hope you all know you are on the hook for four more years of it.

Thank you Grande Prairie for electing me. And thank you also for electing such a great team for me to work with. In alphabetical order:

I am excited for Bill Given's thoughtfulness, knowledge base, and dedication to our community. Five years ago, he was the first one to put the idea of running for Council in my head. Now he's stuck with me. I'm excited to work under his leadership.

I am excited for Chris Thiessen's passion both to engage with people and with details. I hope to emulate both of those. I also anticipate many fun times and even more fun conversations with him.

I am excited for Clyde Blackburn's ability to listen well. His steady encouragement throughout campaign season was so appreciated. We had coffee back in the spring, and my first thought was “I sure hope we BOTH get elected.”

I am excited for Eunice Friesen's keen awareness of both the needs of business and the personal needs of anyone she is in a room with. I sought her advice before deciding to run and it was very helpful- I look forward to learning more from her.

I am excited for Jackie Clayton's steadiness and ability to cut to the chase. We have a lot of work ahead of us, and I'm one of those guys who can over-analyze at times: I know I have lots to learn from her.

I am excited for Kevin O'Toole's community presence and eagerness to chat with people. He’s worked hard to get to know this town and the people in it. I look forward to tapping into that knowledge base.

I am excited for Wade Pilat's eagerness to learn. He was the first other candidate to start showing up at committee meetings to observe the workings of Council. He also brings a wealth of much needed experience as we work on this City’s basic policies and infrastructure.

I am excited for Yadvinder Minhas’ long dedication to our community. From the minute I met him, he was incredibly encouraging and kind to me. I know many others have had the same experience. At the same time, he’s shown a great head for business. We need people like this.

Thank you to all the candidates who ran. Getting to know you was an unexpected gem of running. I know you will continue to be engaged in our community. I look forward to working with every single one of you in some way.

Thank you to Dwight Logan, Helen A Rice, Kevin McLean, Lorne Radbourne, and Rory Tarant. Your service to our community is appreciated. Every single one of you offered me your encouragement, support, and advice. I hope you are all open to coffees in the future!

Now I am off to have a nap and spend a day with my kids. I'm taking a day off. Tomorrow, I know the work just gets harder. I couldn’t be more excited!

Thanks again for being awesome Grande Prairie!

-Dylan