Heidi McKillop is the President of Alberta Proud.This year’s Calgary mayoral race is already shaping up to be one of the most confusing and muddled in recent memory. Many Calgarians are unsure who to vote for on October 20, but one thing seems clear. Jyoti Gondek’s time as mayor has left many deeply disappointed.Under Gondek’s leadership, taxpayers have been burdened with one of the most shocking “climate initiative” price tags in city history, a staggering $87 billion. On top of that, the mayoral salary has climbed to $220,000 a year, rising steadily under her administration. And let’s not forget the $65,000 “art project” where residents can dial a phone number to “hear the sound of the Bow River.”.EYRE: Beware the ‘nation-building’ boosters: Why governments shouldn’t pick winners and losers.But behind the headlines and political spin are real Calgarians feeling the impact. Alberta Proud has spoken with residents and researched how City Hall’s mismanagement is hurting working people.Take the downtown condo market. City Hall has overvalued many properties, for example, claiming units are worth $450,000, while in reality, they’re selling for closer to $330,000. Year after year, property taxes continue to rise, leaving many owners unable to keep up. Some have even been forced to sell at massive losses, watching investments of 8–10 years crumble before their eyes. Meanwhile, your hard-earned tax dollars, over $12.6 million, are being spent to subsidize three separate pension programs for 126 City Hall employees..At Alberta Proud, we recently heard the heartbreaking story of an elderly couple who sold their home and moved to Calgary’s East Village, hoping to be closer to medical facilities, grocery stores, and parks. What they found instead reflects what’s happening across much of our city. Our streets have become unsafe, filled with open drug use, gang activity, and public disorder. The smell of human waste and second-hand drug smoke has become the new normal. The brand-new Superstore downtown looks more like a scene from The Last of Us than a place where families should feel safe shopping.The so-called “safe” injection site near the Sheldon Chumir Centre is anything but safe, an area most people avoid, especially parents with young children. Yet City Hall, just a few blocks away, continues to host fun events, fund art projects, and celebrate their greatness. We are a world-recognized energy city. Let’s be proud of that and ditch the costly net-zero agendas and focus on a net-crime agenda, fixing what’s really hurting our cities. That begins with bringing back stronger community policing, enforcing public safety laws, and cleaning up our streets every day, not turning a blind eye to open drug use and crime. .OLDCORN: No, we don’t ‘honour martyrs'.We must move away from the failed “climate initiative” agenda and start investing in our people and local businesses. City Hall needs to stop all vanity projects, over-budget infrastructure projects, blanket rezoning, unnecessary bike lanes, and costly electric buses. City Hall should freeze property taxes, audit wasteful departments, and offer full transparency through public dashboards that show exactly where our tax dollars go.So, where does that leave you? Who will you be supporting in this election? Alberta Proud recently conducted internal polling for the upcoming race, and here’s what we found..On October 20, we have one real chance to hold City Hall accountable. Let’s elect leadership that respects our money, our effort, and our voice. No more reckless spending. No more political games. We tried Gondek and it didn't work. Now it's time for all new leadership that will respect your paycheque and deliver real value to you and your family. Heidi McKillop is the President of Alberta Proud.
