WESTLOCK — Former Town of Westlock mayor Ralph Leriger was recently recognized for his years of service to the community of Westlock and was presented with the Alberta Municipalities Award of Excellence.
The award was presented during Alberta Municipalities annual conference in Red Deer Sept. 25-27.
The award recognizes outstanding civic leadership by either present or past elected municipal officials who have held office in Alberta for at least four years.
Alberta Municipalities shared a statement congratulating the former mayor and noted his dedication to public service for the past decade and his crucial leadership during the 2016 flood, which lead to the development of three stormwater ponds to prevent future floods.
They also highlighted Leriger’s strong connections with the business community and his representation on behalf of the town on numerous regional and provincial initiatives, as well as contributions to the municipal governance committee.
Leriger said it was “an absolute honour” to be recognized by his peers but shared the accolades with his fellow councillors whom he worked with over the years and said that “any and all successes that we achieved should be attributed to our team and not to one individual.”
He described himself as a “political animal” his whole life, who went into politics “with both eyes open.”
“Our community faced a lot of challenges when I started,” said Leriger, noting the town’s strategic plan was established early on in his tenure. “We lived it. We created a common vision and worked together to achieve it, working in lockstep with our administration and with Alberta Municipalities and our shared advocacy.”
Leriger was also praised for his role in establishing the Westlock Community Foundation, as well as his commitment to many committees, including the Homeland Housing Board, Emergency Management Committee, and Regional Economic Development Committee.
Current Westlock mayor Jon Kramer said councillors nominated the former mayor for the award of excellence at the June 10 regular council meeting, where they thanked Leriger for his service to the community and expressed their gratitude and admiration for the former mayor, and his leadership during his 10-year tenure.
“Ralph is so respected around the entire province. It’s nice for him to have the recognition,” said Kramer. “It was important to us to find a way to help recognize the contributions he made to the community over the years, and this is the one that really seemed to fit.”
Kramer said Leriger is still giving back to the community, although in a different role as a private citizen now, but with the same passion and pride for the town.
His impact will be a long-lasting one, as shared in a statement at the June 10 council meeting.
“Through his time as mayor, Ralph Leriger led the town through many highs and lows — from completing numerous master plans, the town’s strategic plan, infrastructure replacement, growth and development and asset management, to creating the Westlock Community Foundation,” read the statement. “Mayor Leriger was the driving force behind monumental change which will help Westlock move forward for years to come.”
