Len Mitzel | |
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MLA for Cypress-Medicine Hat | |
In office November 22, 2004 – 2012 |
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Preceded by | Lorne Taylor |
Succeeded by | Drew Barnes |
Personal details | |
Born | Lethbridge, Alberta |
Political party | Progressive Conservative |
Spouse(s) | June |
Children | 2 |
Residence | Etzikom, Alberta |
Leonard Mitzel is a Canadian politician and former Member of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta representing the constituency of Cypress-Medicine Hat as a Progressive Conservative.
Mitzel was born in St. Michael's Hospital in Lethbridge and spent his early years in a farming environment near the now ghost town of Hoping, Alberta southeast of Foremost, Alberta. After graduating from high school, he took a job as a surveyor for Alberta Transportation where he worked for seven years. During that time, Mitzel rose through the ranks to become responsible for two crews, which were focused on the preliminary design and construction of major highways in southern Alberta. He then enrolled at the University of Lethbridge as a second-year, pre-engineering student. When his father died in 1977, Mitzel returned to Foremost to run the family farm.
Mitzel was elected to a second term representing the constituency of Cypress-Medicine Hat in the 2008 provincial election, where he received 63 per cent of the vote. He served as Deputy Chair of Committees. Mitzel chaired the Legislative Offices Committee and sat on the Select Special Ethics Commissioner Search Committee.
While in office, he continually advocated for a 24-hour Montana-Alberta border crossing at Wild Horse and the development of an alternative north-south transportation corridor along the east side of Alberta and supported the Canadian Centre for Unmanned Vehicle Systems at Defence R&D Canada at Suffield. In addition, Mitzel was the chair of the Montana-Alberta Bilateral Advisory Council, Alberta chair for the Pacific Northwest Economic Region and the Alberta representative on the Canadian/American Border Trade Alliance.
First elected in 2004, Mitzel received 55 per cent of the vote in his constituency. Since being elected, he has served on numerous committees, including the chairing of the Alberta Rail Crossing Study and the Health Facilities Review Committee, and co-chairing the Ambulance Governance Review Council. He lost his seat in the 2012 Alberta Provincial Election to Drew Barnes, Wildrose Party candidate.