Former Edmonton city councillor Tony Caterina said he has entered the race to become the next mayor, becoming the first major candidate to launch a bid. Caterina said he is the most qualified person to become the next Edmonton mayor, having served four terms as a city councillor and knows what works and does not work. “At this point, the city is under tremendous pressure,” said Caterina in a Friday interview. “It’s out-of-control spending, skyrocketing tax increases to actually pay for those expenditures, and it’s time now that we have to 180 degree turn back to some of the proven things that have worked in the past.” With this 180 degree turn, Caterina said it means controlling expenditures. He added priorities have to be decided on. Caterina served on Edmonton city council from 2007 to 2021. Because he served on it for 14 years, he said he understands past decisions and the reasons they have been made. An example he offered was with the City of Edmonton purchasing 62 electric buses that did not work. He said the decision to go with 62 electric buses all at once rather than test out one like it did two previous times before making a large purchase was wrong. He founded three clothing stories, started a local industrial pipe insulation company, and has been in the restaurant business. Since he has managed businesses, he said he knows what it is like waking up in the middle of the night and worrying about meeting payroll and making tough decisions about cuts. He said this life experience would be invaluable on issues he would have to deal with as mayor. Additionally, he noted Edmonton needs “some really strong leadership that can make some very difficult decisions at this point in time.” The five core services he said the City of Edmonton should be concentrating on are police, fire, infrastructure, snow and ice control, and waste management. When it can say those five core services are 100% efficient, he said then it will be time to look at enhancing other areas. To improve policing in Edmonton, he said he would set a tone that he supports police officers 100% for the work they do. He said he would listen to all recommendations coming from the police chief and the police commission and make decisions based on the information they give him. When it comes to fire services, he said he would replicate what it does with the police commission and have the fire chief be independent like the police chief. He said it is wrong the fire chief is a member of city administration. While he did not offer any particular programs he wants to cut, he said he will do an analysis on what it can afford. He pledged to live within its means with its expenditures. Although Edmonton Mayor Amarjeet Sohi has not confirmed he will be running for re-election, Caterina speculated it could be because of the upcoming Canadian election. Regardless of who is running in the race, he said he has the best ideas to get Edmonton back on track. While it is too early to determine his prospects of success, he said he believes he has the best qualifications to become mayor. He acknowledged there is no substitute for experience. Caterina concluded by saying his win would “be a benefit to Edmonton, and my promise is to make some tough decisions that are not being made at this point or others are not prepared to make going forward.” “And so voting for me would be the right thing to do going forward for the next term as mayor,” he said. The Edmonton mayoral election will be held on Oct. 20, 2025. No other major candidates have declared their candidacy so far. The City of Edmonton revealed in 2020 Caterina was paying more than $90,000 per year to his only office assistant — his son Rocco..Edmonton Councillor Caterina pays son 90K a year as staffer.Figures released by it showed Tony billed taxpayers $45,363.21 for personnel between January and June 2020. Extrapolated over a full year, the salary would come to $90,726.42.
