My name is Linnsie Clark, and I am the Mayor of Medicine Hat. We have made headway over the last four years, but there’s more work ahead to achieve our full vision for this community. Many of the goals I have set out to see through for our community to be its best are still ahead of us.

I spent the first few years of my life on a farm near Oyen, AB before my family moved back to Medicine Hat. They have a ranch south of town, which has greatly contributed to my work ethic, strong community and family values, and appreciation for the natural world. In my youth, I played softball (relatively well), as well as hockey and volleyball (no comment).

I attended the University of Lethbridge where I received my Bachelor of Science, with Distinction, and Honours Thesis on pragmatic text processing in logical reasoning. While there, I had the opportunity to work in Dr. John Vokey’s cognitive science lab. I learned the value of being constantly curious and willing to learn, as well as collaborating with people in other disciplines and the importance of strictly adhering to the scientific method of discovery.

During my summers, I worked for the Alberta Agriculture office in Medicine Hat as their summer research technician, carrying out their summer entomology research. There, I had the honour of working for David Spencer, who was always so generous with his knowledge and made everyone feel like a valued part of the team.

Before heading to law school in Victoria, I spent one summer working for the City’s gas department as a summer operator. After law school, I spent 10 years with the Hospital Employees’ Union in Victoria, eventually becoming the Director of Legal Services. I was once again blessed with a great boss who always met difficult situations with courage, integrity, thorough preparation, and a great sense of humour.

After a brief stint in Edmonton, I returned home in 2017 to work for the City of Medicine Hat in the solicitor’s department. Everyone in the solicitor’s department modelled integrity, hard work, caring, and community services. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with, and learning from, the varied departments within the City and participating in multidisciplinary project teams including the Development and Investment Readiness Team.

My initial decision to run for Mayor was a difficult one. During my tenure at the City, I observed the government’s priorities and values drifting away from those of our community. Although I have had many privileges in my life that my parents and grandparents didn’t, I have not forgotten my roots. Throughout the past few years, too many good ideas in Medicine Hat have been scattered on rocky ground—withered by conflict, choked by weeds of mistrust, or delayed until hope faded. However, when the soil is good—when council listens, collaborates, and respects its residents—ideas can flourish.

The lesson is clear: if we want a harvest of trust, wellness, and prosperity, we must prepare the soil. That means putting residents first, simplifying government, respecting roles, and measuring our success by results that matter to you. Work that I set out to achieve four years ago.

For generations of rural Albertans, it’s been a point of pride to make something broken work, come up with a solution to a problem with what we have on hand, and squeeze every last drop of value out of everything we own. We know that we are stronger as a community than as individuals and know we need to work together—all of us—to succeed. We treat others with the same honesty, respect, and kindness that we expect. I’m sure that most people in our community can relate to these values of ingenuity, resilience, integrity and caring. These are the values that matter to me and the values of the community I want to live in.

I am eternally grateful for the time I have had over the last four years connecting with our community. I look forward to taking the many lessons I have learned during my time serving as Mayor and continuing our mission of an open and accountable government that you can trust, and that fosters an environment for business, culture, and people to thrive.