City Council

Spruce Grove's city council is made up of seven members, one mayor and six aldermen who serve three-year terms.

The current members of Spruce Grove city council are:

• Mayor Stuart Houston
• Alderman Jeff Acker
• Alderman Louise Baxter
• Alderman Bill Kesanko
• Alderman Wayne Rothe
• Alderman Bill Steinburg
• Alderman Searle Turton

Mayor Stuart Houston

Phone: 780-962-7604
Fax: 780-962-0149
E-mail Mayor Houston

Mayor Houston was elected as mayor after serving the City of Spruce Grove for six years as an alderman. He is extremely proud and honoured to be serving his second term as mayor. He firmly believes in the future-focused vision of the City of Spruce Grove and thinks it’s the absolute best place to live in the capital region. He’s also excited about the City’s ongoing growth and development, thanks to its “open for business” attitude and focus on economic sustainability. 

Mayor Houston has served on a variety of boards and committees, including the Horizon Stage board and the Alberta Waste Minimization committee. He was also the chairman of the TransAlta Tri Leisure Centre. He is currently serving as a member of the Capital Region board and is the chair of its Pipeline Linkages Strategy committee.

For many years Mayor Houston has been involved in the development of community youth and has had the opportunity to work with many great kids and parents. In the span of 12 years he coached more than 700 games of hockey for Spruce Grove. He was also involved with Spruce Grove Minor Ball and the development of AAA baseball.

Looking to the future, Mayor Houston sees a clean, green and environmentally responsible city. As chair of the Mayor’s Task Force on the Environment, he was involved in determining the future direction of the City’s environmental programs and initiatives. The City and its residents are committed to setting and achieving long-term goals in social and environmental sustainability to ensure the community and it’s many amenities are here for future generations to enjoy.

Since 1986, Mayor Houston has worked for Triple Five Corporation as a Structural Supervisor for West Edmonton Mall Engineering and Maintenance. He has been a resident of Spruce Grove since 1977. Mayor Houston is married with three children and one grandchild.

Alderman Jeff Acker

Phone: 780-962-7604
Fax: 780-962-0149
E-mail Jeff

Alderman Jeff Acker is serving his second term with Spruce Grove city council. He looks forward to providing input on the city’s future and providing a strong voice for all residents. His vision is for the city to be a clean, safe, well-managed community that provides a high level of services and exceptional quality of life, while engaging and involving all residents.

Alderman Acker was a representative on the Capital Region Waste Minimization board, the Parkland Water Commission, the Spruce Grove Library board, the Communication Task Force, Specialized Transit Service, Yellowhead Regional Library board and the Capital Region board. He also has experience volunteering with the Boys and Girls Clubs of Edmonton, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Spruce Grove Kinette’s Christmas Hamper campaign and Kin Canada.

Alderman Acker is a self-employed IT professional specializing in Internet application development. He lives in Spruce Grove with his wife and daughter and enjoys camping, travelling, volunteering, biking and spending time with family and friends. He is proud to say he has always been a resident of Spruce Grove.

Alderman Louise Baxter

Phone: 780-962-7604
Fax: 780-962-0149
E-mail Louise

Alderman Louise Baxter is serving her fourth term with Spruce Grove city council. She looks forward to having the chance to impact how the community grows and hopes she can influence decisions for the long-term good of the community. She sees Spruce Grove as a clean, modern, liveable city for all ages and demographics with its own identity and is known as a city that is there for its residents.

Alderman Baxter was a representative on the Capital Region Waste Minimization board, the Parkland Water Commission, the Horizon Stage board, the Spruce Grove Library board, the Yellowhead Regional Library board, the Joint Use board, the Assessment Appeal board, the Canada/Japan board and the Meridian Foundation. She has also volunteered on the FCSS board for approximately three years.

She has lived in Spruce Grove since 1984 where she is the co-owner of a local used and collectable bookstore. Alderman Baxter is married with two children, five stepchildren and 11 grandchildren. Her hobbies include cooking, baking, travelling, reading and spending time at her cabin on Lake Nakamun.

Alderman Bill Kesanko

Phone: 780-962-7604
Fax: 780-962-0149
E-mail Bill

Alderman Bill Kesanko returned to council after previously serving five terms. He is committed to representing the public’s best interest and wants to implement changes that touch the lives of residents and in turn will make Spruce Grove an even better place to raise a family.

Alderman Kesanko has been a chairman on the Economic Development and Tourism, Downtown Revitalization and Capital Region Parkland Water Commission boards. He has also served on the committees for the Rotary Skate Park, Spruce Grove Recreation Board, Specialized Transit Service, Parkland Ambulance Authority and the Canada/Japan Society. He also volunteered with various organizations to make a difference in the community.

His vision is for Spruce Grove to be a vibrant and exciting community where people’s needs are met because of the amenities the city has to offer. He looks forward to working with his colleagues to build an effective team that seizes opportunities and gets things done.

Alderman Kesanko is now retired after a 35-year career as a school teacher and school administrator. He enjoys woodworking, cycling and golf and spending time with his family.

Alderman Wayne Rothe

Phone: 780-962-7604
Fax: 780-962-0149
E-mail Wayne

Alderman Wayne Rothe is serving his sixth term on Spruce Grove city council. He looks forward to being able to positively influence the development of the Community of Choice, the city which in which he has chosen to live, raise his family and to operate his business. He is also committed to ensuring the residents of Spruce Grove are provided with the highest quality of life possible.

Over the years, alderman Rothe has had the opportunity to represent the city on most of its boards and committees and has been an active member of the community over the last 35 years.

Alderman Rothe is an independent certified financial planner who loves working with and helping people. He is married with two adult children and enjoys wine making, photography, movies and travelling with his wife. The biggest reason he enjoys Spruce Grove is because it’s provided him with the wonderful opportunity to raise his family in a safe, friendly, caring community.

Alderman Bill Steinburg

E-mail Bill

Alderman Steinburg has been serving the people of Spruce Grove for several terms both as an alderman and as mayor.

An active member of the community, alderman Steinburg is a volunteer board member with Neighbourlink Parkland in Spruce Grove, which is aligned with World Vision Neighbourlink Canada. He is also responsible for presenting “Putting the House in Order” to the Alberta Municipalities Association Conference.

A medical radiation technologist in Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, alderman Steinburg was the manager of radiology at the Misericordia Hospital for 27 years. Post-retirement, Bill is a health care consultant with a background in finance administration and capital projects. He presented one of the first automated computerized equipment assessment programs for us in the tendering diagnostic imaging equipment, which was published at the 12th Symposium for Computer Assisted Radiology in Winston Salem, North Carolina.

Alderman Searle Turton

Phone: 780-962-7604
Fax: 780-962-0149
E-mail Searle

Alderman Searle Turton is serving his first term with Spruce Grove city council. He looks forward being part of the decision making process in the community he is raising his family in.

Alderman Turton has always has the desire to make an active, positive difference in the community. He was a representative on the Spruce Grove Library Board, an executive for the Carpenters Union Local 1325 and sits on the Regional Council for Carpenters and Allied Workers for the province of Alberta. He was also active with his church and served on international missions in Costa Rica and Mexico.

Alderman Turton is a journeyman carpenter and journeyman scaffolder and has worked on various construction projects around the province for the past nine years. He has lived in the Spruce Grove area for 15 years and resides here with his wife and son. He enjoys playing badminton and soccer and playing video games and street hockey with his son, as well as travelling with his family. He looks forward to serving the families of Spruce Grove for the next three years.