Calgary’s municipal election offered a rare turnover in representatives. Ten out of fifteen of the seats are now occupied by new faces. But will the city see some new policies? Calgarians were in the mood for change coming into the election. Some councillors could read the writing on the wall and fled. Gian-Carlo Carra had seen his support slowly sinking, though he managed to cling to his seat for several terms. He represented the far left on council and was typically allied with mayors Nenshi and Gondek. He barely won his seat back in 2021 and wisely stepped aside in this election rather than being trounced by an angry electorate. Citizens were growing tired of Peter Demong’s lackluster performance, and he headed for the door.Leftists Courtney Walcott, Jasmine Mian, Evan Spencer all retreated after just serving a single term. They weren’t the brightest municipal legislators by a long shot, but they were cognizant enough of reality to know they wouldn’t fare well making a second run for office. They must have actually been reading the incoming email while they served..OLDCORN: Ding dong the witch is dead, Gondek’s exit gives Calgary hope.Jyoti Gondek and Kortney Penner doggedly hung on and took another crack at winning their spots back. It can only be assumed they remained deeply within their own personal bubbles if they thought they had a hope of winning. It’s hard to tell which defeat was more humiliating. Penner was obliterated by conservative-leaning Rob Ward who came close to tripling her number of votes. Incumbent councillors in Calgary can often stay in office for decades if they are even moderately competent. Penner’s competence barely registered on the scale of measurement. It’s still astounding she won the seat the first time..Gondek is no fool, but she is clearly blinded by her own ideology. Even with several serious contenders splitting the mayoral vote, she finished third with nearly 20,000 votes separating her from the winner. It has been 45 years since an incumbent mayor managed to lose an election in Calgary. Gondek outdid herself indeed.While Calgarians were in the mood for change in the election, they didn’t really change the balance of power much in city hall.Myke Thomas is the Western Standard’s city hall expert, and he breaks it down well. Thomas: “It adds up to six on the right side, two in the middle and six on the left, with Farkas, by our measure, in the centre, for a total of 15 councillors.”.DUR: When Alberta puts a price tag on accidental miscarriage — but pays for abortion.For people who want balance, it doesn’t get any better than that. For people who want a clear policy direction from City Hall, though, it doesn’t get much worse. Things can really go either way on any issue.Mayor-elect Jeromy Farkas has the spot with the most profile and the most influence on policy, though he does indeed have only one vote on council. He will hold the deciding vote on many issues, and with Jeromy, it’s tough to see where he may go..Farkas came into the council as a reformer in 2017. He was a consistent thorn in Nenshi’s side as he staunchly defended fiscally conservative positions and exposed waste in city hall. He boldly stood offside with most of his fellow council members and stubbornly stuck to his principles. After losing his bid for mayor in the 2021 election, though, something changed. Farkas started taking some questionable stances on issues, particularly when being critical of the provincial Smith government. To be blunt, he has been sounding very woke, and some on his campaign team in 2025 reflected that ideology. He also wasn’t as cut and dry in some of his policy stances in this election..HEINRICHS: Can anything change Canada's declining birth rate?.That leaves us with a big question mark in Calgary’s city hall. The council is ideologically split down the middle, as is the mayor.This could turn out to be the best city council Calgary has ever seen, or it could be its most dysfunctional. We will have to wait and see..I hold some optimism.While Farkas hasn’t remained ideologically consistent on some issues, he has always remained principled. There are no scandals attached to him, and he has always been open and honest with where he is coming from. Yes, he has shifted in stances on some things, but I think it comes from a sense of personal pragmatism rather than confusion or indecision.Farkas is a good man who wants to do the right thing. His biggest strength and flaw at the same time is his sensitivity. He may or may not move the needle in the direction I would like to see in City Hall, but I am confident that every move he makes will be with what he feels the city’s best interest is..OLDCORN: Alberta NDP proves it's the government union party, not the working parents party.I would rather have a good and honest man whose policies differ from mine in office than a dishonest or self-serving one who matches my policy preferences perfectly.Gondek is thankfully in Calgary’s rear-view mirror, and we have a fresh batch of faces in office. Hopefully, under Jeromy’s leadership, the city can get some good things done.
