Rodney first sought public office in the 2004 provincial election in the constituency of Calgary-Lougheed. In that election, he received 60% of the vote. During his first term in office, in addition to his responsibilities as an MLA, Rodney held the title of chair for each of Calgary caucus, the Standing Committee on Legislative Offices, and the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission. He was also the government liaison for the Strategic Tourism Marketing Council, and served as a member on numerous committees. While Dave Rodney was Chairman of the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, specifically between January 2004 and September 2006, executive director Lloyd Carr defrauded his agency of $624,500 through phony teen smoking reduction program grants of funds that Carr himself was the ultimate recipient of, according to the Alberta Auditor General's investigation and report . The Auditor General was severely critical of AADAC management's hiring and contracting practices, the absence of control mechanisms, as well as the Board's failure to provide oversight and general lack of substantive involvement in governance.. Carr was convicted of fraud and sentenced to 42 months imprisonment in 2010 . Rodney sponsored a number of bills during the 26th Legislature; he sponsored one private member's bill, Smoke-free Places Act, 2005 and one private bill, Burns Memorial Trust Amendment Act, 2006, in addition to four government bills: Hotel Room TaxAmendment Act, 2005, Health Statutes Amendment Act, 2007, Access to the Future Amendment Act, 2007, and Insurance Amendment Act, 2007. On March 3, 2008, Rodney was re-elected to a second term as MLA for Calgary-Lougheed with 53% of the vote. In the 27th Legislature, he sponsored a private member's bill, the Alberta Income TaxAmendment Act, 2008. He is the chair of the all-party Policy Field Committee on Community Services, government liaison to the Strategic Tourism Marketing Commission, and member of each of the Agenda and Priorities Committee, Special Standing Committee on Members Services, and Cabinet Policy Committee on Community Services. After the election of Jason Kenney as leader of the United Conservative Party, Rodney announced that he was resigning as MLA for Calgary-Lougheed, effective November 1, 2017, in order to allow Kenney an opportunity to enter the legislature by contesting the seat in a by-election. Rodney has not stated whether or not he intends to seek a new seat in the next provincial election, expected in 2019.
Personal life
Rodney is married to Jennifer. The couple have two children and a puppy named MacGyver. Rodney has long been an active volunteer; prior to entering politics, he worked for more than 60 charities, both locally and globally. He has received many accolades for his philanthropic work and personal accomplishments, including the Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal for community service, a spot on Alberta Venture magazine's list of Alberta's 50 Most Influential People, and the dedication of a park "Rodney Ridge" in his hometown, where he holds a spot on the sports hall of fame. Tragedy marred Rodney's 1999 ascent of Everest. Michael Matthews, a member of Rodney's expedition and the youngest Briton to climb Everest, died during his descent. Dave Rodney alleged that oxygen sets were inadequate, that organisation of the expedition by OTT was incompetent generally, and that guide and OTT member Nick Kekus tried to strike him with an oxygen bottle. OTT confessed that Nick Kekus had lost patience with Dave Rodney according to "Everest Uncensored" by Nick Fielding , also articles in The Guardian .
