Grande Prairie MLA Tracy Allard says it’s been a constant learning curve since taking over her new role eight months ago. The first time MLA says she’s had to adapt to a lot following the April 16th election.
“I’m used to working for a small operation that’s nimble where we can make decisions rather quickly. I continue to learn in government that it sounds good from the outside but when you get into it, there are so many stakeholders that deserve to be consulted. It does take more time than I would like but that’s the reality.”
Coming from a background as a local business owner, Allard says the increase in the workflow has also been new for her.
“[In the business world,] if I worked through my to-do list, I’d get up the next morning with a fresh list or fresh start. In the constituency world, if I work through my to-do list, the next day I have the new to-do list and all the stuff to follow up from the day before.”
Looking ahead to 2020, she hopes to work on making sure she follows up with people in a more timely manner, which is an area she says she is lacking in.
“I don’t want people to feel like their follow up is really lagging. I have some pretty high standards for response times and I haven’t been meeting them so that’s something I would like to change for next year.”
In the new year, Allard says she would also like to start hosting an event called Coffee with your MLA which would see her visit local coffee shops to sit down and have a chat with her constituents.