If the race to be Calgary’s next mayor can be compared to the world-famous Calgary Stampede chuckwagon races, the leading candidates have circled the barrels and are on the track, heading for the first turn.
This week, two campaign teams released the results of individual surveys on who is in the lead, and it’s clear the Jeff Davison and Jeromy Farkas teams are polls apart.
Farkas’ poll was conducted by polling firm Leger which did an online survey of 442 Calgarians, 18 years of age or older, that showed 14% of respondents would vote for Farkas, 13% for Mayor Gondek, 7% for Sonya Sharp and 5% for Davison.
Davison’s poll was conducted by URBA Calgary, a digital-focused marketing company, of 2,036 responses, showing Davison with 41% support to be the next mayor. Davison’s team did not release other results and added it did not commission the poll.
But the bottom line is it doesn’t matter who’s ‘leading’ today, the poll that really matters is the finish line on election day, Oct. 20.
Of course, there were multiple pledges and promises by the leading candidates, and here’s a run down, in no particular order.
Sonya Sharp, Communities First Party
Sharp and her party colleagues said they would bring a ‘back-to-basics' approach to budgeting.
The plan involves re-introducing dedicated and public budget oversight through a properly structured finance committee, said a release from Sharp’s team. “The role of this reconstituted committee will be to scrutinize departmental and business unit budgets in detail and in public, assess the effectiveness of spending against established goals, and vet any proposed new spending.”
“Calgary’s total annual operating budget is projected to reach roughly $5.2 billion in 2026, with another $10.2 billion earmarked for capital spending. Those funds need to be spent wisely on the programs and infrastructure that matter most to Calgarians,” said Sharp. “The current budget process is broken and far too complicated for the average Calgarian to follow. There’s a reason C.D. Howe gave a ‘D’ grade this year.”
“Councillors struggle to find clear spending details in those documents, let alone taxpayers. That needs to change. We need to make it clear where money is being overspent on non-priority items and where essential services are falling short. Calgarians deserve a budget process that is transparent, straightforward, and open for real public participation, and Standing Policy Committees are the forum where that accountability can happen.”
Jeff Davison, Independent
Davison announced his 'A Safer Calgary Now Task Force Plan’, “a bold, unified approach to cracking down on crime, restoring law and order, and cleaning up Calgary streets,” he said in a release.
The plan includes working with the provincial and federal governments as well as “local on-the-ground agencies to deliver outcomes on a range of tactics including mental health initiatives, addictions strategies, bail reform and wrap-around care to achieve long-term real results,” read the release.
“Day one, we will strike a task force and get to work immediately on collaborative solutions that will lead Calgary, and North America, out of this disaster,” said Davison, adding the real emergency in Calgary isn’t climate, it’s that Calgary isn’t safe.
“It’s time to restore law and order on our streets.,” he said. “It’s time to round up the criminals, get people into recovery and clean up our streets. Young people are scared to ride transit, seniors won’t walk downtown, drug addicts are shooting up in the Plus 15 system and businesses are being forced to hire private security. Enough is enough.”
Jeromy Farkas, Independent
Farkas said he had a plan to fix Calgary’s construction mess and support businesses.
“I’m putting forward my Capital Works Coordination Initiative, a plan to cut through the chaos, reduce costs, and get our city moving again,” said Farkas. “You’ve probably seen it yourself, the same road dug up again and again, traffic detours that never seem to end, and small businesses left struggling while projects drag on. I hear this frustration from Calgarians every day.”
Farkas’ plan includes a map that would show “every planned and active road project, city, utility, or private. Updated weekly so you can actually plan around it,” he said, adding better coordination by involved parties is also part of the plan. “Departments, utilities, and developers will finally have to talk to each other and align timelines. Smarter bundling of projects means less disruption, shorter detours, and lower costs.”
There’s a finish-on-time or pay-up clause.
"If projects run late, local businesses won’t be left paying the price,” said Farkas. “They’ll be reimbursed for certain costs. If the city or contractors can’t keep projects on schedule, they should be the ones footing the bill, not the corner store losing customers.”
Mayor Jyoti Gondek, Incumbent
Here at the Western Standard, we don't know what she's up to, we never hear from her. A city hall insider suggests that isn't an oversight.