A sitting Calgary city councillor is setting his sights on the Alberta legislature and seeking a provincial nomination in a local suburban riding.
Ward 13 Coun. Dan McLean announced Friday that he is seeking the nomination for the governing United Conservative Party (UCP) in the riding of Calgary-Shaw.
The south Calgary suburban riding is currently represented by former cabinet minister Rebecca Schulz, who announced her resignation from cabinet in December with plans to vacate her seat next month.
McLean was unavailable for an interview Friday, but said in a video posted to social media that he was encouraged to run because residents want a continuation of “the strong, principled leadership” Schulz demonstrated since she was first elected in 2019.
“I believe the time is right to continue serving but this time at the provincial level,” he said.
McLean was first elected to Calgary city council in 2021 and quickly branded himself as a “common sense conservative” voice, often opposing property tax increases and city spending.
However, McLean was reprimanded and sanctioned multiple times during his first term after being caught attending a council meeting remotely from a golf course. He also agreed to meet with a circle of Indigenous elders after videos surfaced on social media in 2022 allegedly showing McLean engaging in racist stereotypes and mocking Indigenous people.
McLean said he had “zero recollection” of the videos, but later apologized.
He was re-elected in October’s municipal election as a member of the Communities First party, and garnered more than 65 per cent of the vote in a two-candidate race. McLean currently serves on the Calgary Police Commission as well as several city committees, including as chair of the intergovernmental affairs committee.
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“You know me as a fighter at city hall,” McLean said in his video. “For the past five years, I’ve stood for common sense, for fiscal responsibility, for safer communities and you’ve seen how those values have often put me at odds with the progressive left and the NDP.”
Calgary Mayor Jeromy Farkas said that while he’s committed to “stay out of party politics,” he’s appreciated McLean’s leadership on city council.
“He’s been a great constituency representative. He got the largest share of votes of any of the council colleagues that I get to work with,” Farkas told reporters Friday.
“He’s been a leader on financial responsibility, on public safety, and I certainly wish him the best in his endeavours there.”
A byelection for Calgary-Shaw hasn’t been called, but provincial law requires one to be called six months after Schulz’s departure.
According to the UCP, a nomination contest for the riding hasn’t yet been called.
“When a nomination is called, we will first inform our membership and post the details on our website. Eligible members will then have 14 days to apply to contest the nomination,” a party spokesperson said.
“After that, we will announce the names of those who are contesting, and a vote will be held between 21 and 35 days following the close of nominations.”
Duane Bratt, a political scientist at Mount Royal University in Calgary, said McLean does have a shot at winning.
“He’s a high-profile conservative; this is a safe conservative seat,” Bratt said. “The nomination will be a bigger fight than winning the election.”
It appears that the fight has already begun, with opponents of McLean’s candidacy creating a website dedicated to ensuring he stays on city council.
“Just because he sees an opportunity for himself doesn’t mean he should let down the voters,” said Craig Chandler, who co-created the website. “He made a promise to people and he’s not keeping that.”
Chandler is backing Mike Derry, another candidate who is seeking the UCP nomination in Calgary-Shaw.
“Hearing other folks actually run gets me out of bed every day to work harder,” Derry told Global News.
Although several former Calgary city councillors have sought a seat in Alberta’s legislature, McLean is believed to be the first sitting councillor to do so since 2009, when his predecessor Diane Colley-Urquhart ran for the governing Progressive Conservative Party in a byelection in Calgary-Glenmore.
Colley-Urquhart, who served as city councillor for Ward 13 between 2000 and 2021, finished third in the race and was re-elected to city council the following year.
“This is not unusual, but what is a bit unusual is the fact that he’s a sitting councillor and a sitting councillor who was only re-elected about six months ago,” Bratt said.
According to the Alberta Election Act, a municipal councillor may take an unpaid leave of absence to run for a provincial nomination and in a byelection.
However, the Municipal Government Act states sitting counicllors must resign if they are elected to the Alberta legislature.
In a statement, McLean called the next provincial election “critical,” and that his track record “will be an asset to the UCP.”
The next provincial election is scheduled for October 2027.
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