The official election results are in and Calgarians now know who the city’s new mayor, council and members of the local school boards will be.
By law, the City of Calgary was required to submit the official numbers to the provincial government by noon on Oct. 24.
The city says 349,815 people, or 39.04 per cent of eligible voters, cast a ballot in this year’s municipal election.
“It’s still low, but it’s on the margins of where we normally have elections, which is in the 40 to 50 per cent range,” said Duane Bratt, a political scientist at Mount Royal University.
The results confirm that Jeromy Farkas will be Calgary’s new mayor after receiving 91,071 votes.
That’s 581 votes more than runner-up Sonya Sharp.
However, Sharp’s campaign confirmed Friday it submitted a request for a recount of the official results under the Local Authorities Elections Act.
“Calgarians deserve absolute confidence that every vote has been counted accurately and that the process is beyond reproach,” Sharp said in a statement.
“This request is about strengthening trust in the system.”
Sharp is requesting the recount on the grounds she is within 0.5 per cent of the winner but did not specify what polling stations she has requested officials to recount.
According to provincial legislation, the recount must be complete by noon on Oct. 29.
The new members of city council, according to the official results, will be:
- Ward 1 – Kim Tyers
- Ward 2 – Jennifer Wyness
- Ward 3 – Andrew Yule
- Ward 4 – Daniel James (DJ) Kelly
- Ward 5 – Raj Dhaliwal
- Ward 6 – John Pantazopoulos
- Ward 7 – Myke Atkinson
- Ward 8 – Nathaniel Schmidt
- Ward 9 – Harrison M. Clark
- Ward 10 – Andre Chabot
- Ward 11 – Rob Ward
- Ward 12 – Mike Jamieson
- Ward 13 – Dan McLean
- Ward 14 – Landon Johnston
The new city council will include 10 political newcomers with just four incumbents returning: Jennifer Wyness, Raj Dhaliwal, Andre Chabot and Dan McLean.
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While the results were made official Friday, work has already been ongoing at city hall for the last two days, getting the new councillors up to speed on their new jobs for the next four years.
“It’s exciting to get to know everybody you’re going to be working with,” said Ward 11 Councillor-elect Rob Ward. “Good information, just a lot to take in right now — but we’ll get there.”
Councillors are subject to an intensive and mandatory orientation where they learn about roles and responsibilities of councillors and council, the council’s Code of Conduct, as well as key municipal plans, policies, and projects.
They’re also getting caught up on budgeting and financial information from city administration, as they will face a budget adjustment as one of the first major tasks in November.
Ward 4 councillor-elect DJ Kelly said the week has been a “very fast turnaround process” after winding down the campaign and now meeting his new colleagues.
“We’re in the room getting our computers and our laptops, and they’re set up in the room for three councillors at a time. So while the IT guys are trying to get us to set up our passwords and whatnot, we’re meeting each other for the first time,” Kelly told reporters Friday.
“It’s basically six days from election until when you’re a city councillor.”
The City of Calgary said the official results in Ward 12 reflect the outcome of a recount conducted Thursday under the Local Authorities Election Act, and they confirm that Mike Jamieson defeated Sarah Ferguson by a margin of 59 votes.
“A nail-biter, I would say a rollercoaster,” Jamieson told reporters ahead of his orientation on Friday.
“I’m humbled Ward 12 has selected me. I’m very grateful but I’m ready to get to work, I’ve got a lot to learn in a very short period of time and I’m excited for the challenge.”
The new members of council will be officially sworn in at a ceremony in council chambers starting at 6 p.m. on Oct. 29.
Members of the public will be invited to attend in person or watch it live on the City of Calgary website.
The new elected public school trustees are:
- Wards 1 and 2 – Jenny Regal
- Wards 3 and 4 – Laura Hack
- Wards 5 and 10 – Cynthia Cordova
- Wards 6 and 7 – Patricia Bolger
- Wards 8 and 9 – Susan Vukadinovic
- Wards 11 and 13 – Nancy Close
- Wards 12 and 14 – Charlene May
The new trustees will be sworn in during a special ceremony on Oct. 31.
However, it will only be open to immediate family and will be followed by an organizational meeting during which the trustees will elect a new chair.
The newly elected separate school trustees who will all sit on the board of Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) are:
- Wards 1 and 2, plus Cochrane – Myra D’Souza
- Wards 3 and 5 – Terry W.N. Thuo (Acclaimed)
- Wards 4 and 7, plus Airdrie – Maria-Teresa Vecchio-Romano
- Wards 6 and 8 – Lory Iovinelli
- Wards 9 and 10, plus Chestermere – Shannon Cook (Acclaimed)
- Wards 11 and 12 – Chantelle Dur (Acclaimed)
- Wards 13 and 14 – Steve Chapman
A spokesperson for the CCSD tells Global News that the new trustees will be sworn in before the next regular board meeting on Oct. 29, during which they will also select a new chair and vice-chair.
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