Calgary’s sitting mayor has officially launched her reelection campaign saying she wants to return to the top leadership role in the city in a bid for a second term.
The announcement comes nine months after Jyoti Gondek announced her intention to seek the seat once again following speculation on her future in local politics.
Former councillors Jeromy Farkas and Jeff Davison, sitting councillor Sonya Sharp, and lawyer Brian Thiessen have all also announced their intention to run.
Sharp is the only one who has filed her nomination papers with Elections Calgary. Other candidates listed on the city’s website are Jaeger Gustafson and Grant Prior.
‘What matters most to Calgarians’
“Calgarians deserve more than just words, they deserve honesty, they deserve clarity, and they deserve real leadership,” said Gondek on Wednesday, adding that serving as mayor since 2021 has been the greatest honour of her life.
Bringing forth what she calls an accountability package as part of her bid for reelection, she says all city contracts will be disclosed in the future among other measures to increase transparency.
These measures include releasing a sunshine list that includes all city employees making above a certain threshold and publicly post all released Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy (FOIP) requests.
“No more gatekeeping of information that is already available,” she says.
Other plans include a proactive approach to releasing buget disclosures that are easier to understand. Gondek says a recent land sale included details that did not need to be kept confidential.
In highlighting her first-term achievements, Gondek said she put safety as a top priority — increasing budgets for the Calgary Fire Department and the Calgary Police Service. She also emphasized investments in infrastructure like the Green Line LRT and reviews of infrastructure maintenance following the catastrophic 2024 feeder main break.
The mayor says she has played a part in building a resilient economy, launching the Prairie Economic Gateway and bringing public and private partners together to invest in the city.
A bumpy road
Despite her achievements, Gondek, the first woman elected as mayor of Calgary, hasn’t been without controversy.
Citizen polls have shown mixed support for her throughout her first term.
Political scientist Lori Williams says Gondek’s plans for increased transparency may not help her bid that much, partially because the election is still months away, but also because it may be a focus that’s coming too late in her tenure as mayor.
“That said, because of the experience that she has, she may now be able to speak in a way that addresses some of the things she’s encountered along the way,” Williams says.
A ThinkHQ poll from December 2023 saw historically low approval ratings for Gondek and council — 61 per cent said they disapproved of her performance, while 43 per cent said they strongly disapproved.
She has faced substantial criticism during her term for various issues, including the failure of the first Event Centre deal, her refusal to attend a December 2023 Hanukkah menorah lighting ceremony amid the Israel-Hamas war, the single-use items bylaw, blanket rezoning, and the Bearspaw Feedermain break.
In January, Calgary business owner Landon Johnston filed a recall petition against the mayor, explaining he was frustrated with property tax increases, the single-use items bylaw, and the cancellation of fireworks on Canada Day.
His effort was unsuccessful, garnering signatures from just 5.39 per cent of city’s population, well below the required 40 per cent threshold.
First election for municipal political parties
Alberta’s next municipal election is scheduled for Oct. 20.
This election will be the first time Alberta allows municipal political parties in local elections thanks to Bill 20.
Gondek has previously said she would be running as an independent candidate, not aligning herself with any municipal political party.
Davison and Farkas have also said they would not be running under a party banner.
So far, three parties have registered with candidates, according to the city.
There is The Calgary Party led by Thiessen, Communities First led by Sharp, and A Better Calgary Party led by Gordon Elliott, who is running for councillor in Ward 1.