The King's Connection Magazine Volume 23 Number 2//Fall 2012 | Page 5

featured article

King’s alumnus wins seat as

mayor of
Stony Plain
K

ing’s alumnus William Choy (’95 BA Psych, ’97 B.Ed.)
has recently been elected to a new role as mayor of
Stony Plain, Alberta. On the heels of the election win,
Josh Noble sat down for an interview with the newly elected
mayor.

William Choy began his degree at King’s in 1992. While his
interests were mainly focused on politics and economics,
King’s did not yet offer the innovative Politics-HistoryEconomics (PHE) degree. Instead, William pursued a
Psychology degree and took as many political science
courses as he was able. The years at King’s were
formative for William as he began to develop a political
ideology and outlook on the role of government. These
years were highlighted by classes and conversations
with one King’s professor in particular.
“There were many important professors and
community members, but one that stands out for
me is Dr. John Hiemstra,” says Choy. “I was very
interested in politics, even when I was at King’s 20
years ago, and he was a valued teacher. He was
always willing to chat about the issues.”
After graduating from King’s, William married
his wife Dara, who was also a teacher. Dara and William have
three children, Kurtis (13), Branden (11), and Katie (7). In time,
William became more involved with the family business, Bing’s
#1 Restaurant, where he is the third generation family member
to operate it. Working as a small business owner in Stony
Plain, William felt a profound desire to become involved in his
community. He began by volunteering at community events
and getting involved with community organizations such as the
Rotary Club.
In 2007, in an effort to
continue to serve his
community, William
ran for town council
and was elected for
the first time. He ran
again in the 2010
municipal election and
was elected for
a second time. In

February
2012, former
mayor of Stony Plain, Ken Lemke
announced he was resigning from his position to
run for provincial office. William decided to take the leap of faith
and run for the position of mayor. On May 1 the citizens of Stony
Plain rewarded William’s hard work in the community by electing
him as mayor of Stony Plain. In the months since the election,
Mayor Choy has been very busy with both his mayoral duties
as well as the ongoing responsibilities of operating the family
business.
We wish Mayor Choy the best in his very busy life as husband,
father, mayor and business owner. Yet another alumnus that has
us glowing with pride. ?

The King’s Connection /// Fall 2012 /// 3