She served on Strathcona County Council from 1995, first as a councillor then mayor, until her defeat in 2010.
Cathy Olesen successfully ran for County councillor, in the new Ward 4, in 1995.
Olesen become mayor of Strathcona County in 2004, and was re-elected in 2007, in a close three-way race.
In 2012, with Sherwood Park MLA Iris Evans retiring, Olesen ran for the Progressive Conservative (PC) nomination.
[8][9] On April 23, 2012, Olesen won the Sherwood Park riding, and successfully made her way into provincial politics.