The race for the mayor's chair at Calgary city hall — more notes and quotes to get more votes

With only three weeks to go before the big day — election day, Oct. 20 — the race for the mayor’s chair is picking up speed. 

Here's how the leading contenders say they will make Calgary a better place for you if elected, listed in no particular order. 

Jeromy Farkas, Independent 

Farkas took some heat for comments he made this week during an Ask Me Anything session on Reddit. Participants asked Farkas his position on various issues. Depending on the issue, some of his comments were from the left side of the political spectrum and others from the right side. An AI search of Farkas’ quotes and activities found he has described himself as fiscally conservative but socially liberal.

One of his answers managed to raise more questions. He said, “My platform today includes hate-tracking and education programs and culturally competent training for first responders”.

Question marks popped up because of 'hate-tracking' and 'culturally competent training', both sounding like Big Brother, but Farkas didn’t expand on what those meant. 

He had a more common-sense approach to Calgary Transit.

“Calgarians deserve to feel safe on every bus, CTrain and platform. My plan includes more safety ambassadors and community presence on the system, better lighting and visibility at stations and a dedicated Transit Advocate to audit stops and ensure concerns from riders are acted on”. 

The AI search concluded, “Farkas has many characteristics of a conservative, especially fiscally (smaller government, careful spending, etc.). But he also diverges from a more socially conservative/right-wing stereotype on many issues. On the political spectrum, he might be best described as centre-right, or a ‘liberal conservative’ in the sense of combining conservative economic views with liberal social views. 

Jeff Davison, endorsed by A Better Calgary Party 

Davison sent some love to the men and women who “turn blueprints into schools, hospitals, roads, and LRT lines: skilled labourers, apprentices, and tradespeople”. 

“This is about Calgarians building Calgary”, he said. “It’s about protecting good jobs today, training the next generation, and ensuring our city grows with a skilled workforce”. 

Davison noted $15 billion in infrastructure and development is on the books for the next decade in Calgary and “skilled workers must be at the centre of Calgary’s growth story. Nearly one in five job vacancies in the Calgary region are in construction and trades, and demand for plumbers, electricians, and equipment technicians continues to outpace supply”.  

The shortages are making costs go up and threatening timelines.  

The fix, said Davison, is city contracts to require a defined percentage of certified tradespeople, journeypersons and registered apprentices on every job. 

“If you want city dollars, you need to show you’ve invested in skilled, qualified labour,” he said, adding he will cut through delays emanating inside city hall. 

“Every delay costs taxpayers money, harms employment, and slows recovery. Calgary needs a mayor who clears the path so businesses can get the work done”. 

He wants a closer relationship between the city and SAIT, which he calls “Calgary’s trades training hub” and partnering with other organizations to increase apprenticeship seats in Calgary. 

“Our future depends on streets paved by strong hands, schools built with vision, and transit lines laid with quality and craftsmanship. When Calgary builds, it’s carpenters, welders, electricians, and plumbers who make it happen”, he said. 

Sonya Sharp, Communities First Party 

Sharp says she would reform city hall’s bureaucracy to “make it more responsive and accountable to Calgarians and serve as a reminder of their mandate”.  

 “Public confidence in Calgary city hall has significantly declined in the past decade, according to the city’s own survey”, she said. “Communities First candidates are committed to introducing governance structure and process reforms to restore trust in local government”. 

Included in the reform, among other things, would be a sunshine list of employees earning $130,000 or more per year and consolidation of the chief administrative officer and chief operations officer positions and office budgets and reinstating the city manager title, resulting in approximately $2.5 million in annual savings. 

“Senior city administration likes to see itself as running a big corporation, and while the organization is big, it’s not a corporation in the same sense as the private sector,” said Sharp. “They are a local government, and they need to be accountable and responsive to citizens and council. 

“These measures serve as a reminder of what their job is and who they report to.” 

There would be a deeper dive into pensions. 

“The city’s pension practices have come under question recently, and these are valid concerns. Even when members of council ask, officially, for information, the response from the administration doesn’t shed a lot of light," said Sharp. "A third-party audit of The City’s Pension practices makes sense, and it’s something that the public has a right to see when it’s done. We intend to make that happen.”