It’s official, former Calgary city councillor and mayoral candidate Jeromy Farkas has filed his nomination papers and is a recognized candidate for mayor of Calgary in the October 20 election. At a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Farkas, who grew up in the east Calgary neighbourhood of Dover, said he was inspired as a kid by his neighbours’ support of and participation in the community, which led him to serve in the community. He became a Calgary police commissioner, a nonprofit CEO, a Calgary city councillor, and candidate for mayor in the 2021 election, coming in second behind current mayor Jyoti Gondek. “At every step, I’ve seen how volunteers and community groups make Calgary work,” said Farkas. “I’ve also seen how city hall doesn’t always show up for them. I am proud to formally launch my campaign by focusing on Calgary’s community leaders, because they’ve been the through line of my life and career.” Farkas said part of his campaign platform is to end the cost of community service, the fees volunteers pay for vulnerable sector checks when serving with children, seniors, or vulnerable Calgarians. “It shouldn’t cost money to give back,” he said. “When Calgarians step up to coach kids, serve at cultural festivals, or support seniors, city hall should be backing them up, not charging them for the privilege of helping.” .Another chapter of his platform is a program allowing donations to community associations being eligible for charitable tax receipts. “A small donation to a community association can save taxpayers thousands down the line in policing, crisis response, or healthcare,” he said. “By unlocking the ability to issue tax receipts, we can make those donations go further and strengthen Calgary at its roots. At the press conference, held at Elections Calgary’s northeast office, Farkas also released his new policy brief, Stronger Together: A Vision to Empower Calgary’s Community Leaders. “The brief outlines proposals to strengthen Calgary’s 2,000-plus nonprofits and 150-plus community associations with stable funding, access to city bulk-purchasing to cut costs, renewed investment in poverty reduction through Enough for All, and formal partnerships with the Nonprofit Chamber to ensure nonprofits have a consistent voice at city hall,” he said.“My vision is to build up Calgary as Canada’s capital of volunteerism, where giving back is easy, valued, and celebrated. Strong communities are built by volunteers, community leaders, and neighbours who care. That’s who raised me. That’s who I’ve worked alongside my whole life. And that’s who I’ll fight for as mayor.” With his nomination papers filed, Farkas joins Gondek, Sonya Sharp, Jeff Davison, Brian Thiesen, Jeff Clauson, Jaeger Gustafson, and Grant Prior as candidates who have filed nomination papers or have announced their intentions to file nomination papers.
