Cathy Olesen
# Cathy Olesen

Cathy Olesen (born c. 1961) is a politician in Alberta, Canada. She served on Strathcona County Council from 1995, first as a councillor then mayor, until her defeat in 2010. Olesen then went into provincial politics, and represented Sherwood Park from the 2012 provincial election until her defeat in the 2015 provincial election.

## Political career

Cathy Olesen successfully ran for County councillor, in the new Ward 4, in 1995. She held this position for three terms, until deciding to take a run for mayor. Olesen become mayor of Strathcona County in 2004, and was re-elected in 2007, in a close three-way race. In 2010 Olesen lost to Linda Osinchuk.

In 2012, with Sherwood Park MLA Iris Evans retiring, Olesen ran for the Progressive Conservative (PC) nomination. She won the PC nomination by only one vote over Susan Timanson. On April 23, 2012, Olesen won the Sherwood Park riding, and successfully made her way into provincial politics. On May 5, 2015 Olesen lost to Annie McKitrick.

## Electoral history

### 2015 general election

vte2012 Alberta general election: Sherwood Park :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Progressive Conservative | Cathy Olesen | 8,747 | 45.62 | -17.52 |
| | Wildrose | Garnett Genuis | 5,948 | 31.02 |
| | Liberal | Dave Anderson | 1,837 | 9.58 | -16.48 |
| | New Democratic | Sarah Michelin | 1,210 | 6.31 | +0.18 |
| | Independent | James Ford | 1,064 | 5.55 |
| | Alberta Party | Chris Kuchmak | 230 | 1.20 |
| | Social Credit | Gordon Barrett | 137 | 0.71 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 19,173 |
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 184 |
| Registered electors / turnout | Registered electors / turnout | Registered electors / turnout | 30,851 | 62.74 | +15.06 |
| | Progressive Conservative hold | Progressive Conservative hold | Swing | Swing | -24.27 |
| Source(s) Elections Alberta. "Electoral Division Results: Sherwood Park". Retrieved July 9, 2012. |||||||

vte2015 Alberta general election: Sherwood Park :

| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | New Democratic | Annie McKitrick | 11,365 | 52.05 | +45.74 |
| | Progressive Conservative | Cathy Olesen | 5,655 | 25.90 | -19.72 |
| | Wildrose | Linda Osinchuk | 4,815 | 22.05 | -8.97 |
| Total valid votes | Total valid votes | Total valid votes | 21,835 |
| Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | Rejected, spoiled, and declined | 143 |
| Registered electors / Turnout | Registered electors / Turnout | Registered electors / Turnout | 33,048 | 66.50 | +3.76 |
| | New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative | New Democratic gain from Progressive Conservative | Swing | Swing | +32.73 |
| Source(s) Elections Alberta. "Electoral Division Results: Sherwood Park". Retrieved July 9, 2018. |||||||
