Stephen Mandel was Edmonton’s 34th mayor, serving since October 2004. He established initiatives to tackle homelessness, public safety, Aboriginal relations, seniors housing and integration of immigrant communities.
Mandel received an Associate of Arts Degree from Lincoln College in Lincoln, Ill., a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Miami University, and his Masters in Political Science from the University of Windsor.
His bold vision to improve the integration of services in the Edmonton region made historic progress by encouraging the province to take the lead and create a new governance body with a clear direction to build a more effective regional plan.
Mandel was born in Windsor, Ont. and moved to Edmonton in 1972.
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He was an accomplished businessman bringing 30 years of private sector experience to Edmonton City Hall.
As president of Mandel Group, he was involved in business development, residential and commercial real estate development, construction, as well as operations of hotels and sports enterprises.
He was first elected to Edmonton city council in 2001 as a Ward 1 councillor and served one term before running for mayor and defeating three-term mayor Bill Smith in 2004.
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He was known as a passionate advocate of the arts and culture, directing new investment into the arts community, establishing and funding a new poet laureate, helping drive a new vision for Fort Edmonton, promoting a new arts-based vision for 118 Avenue and marshaling support for the new Art Gallery of Alberta and launching the annual Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts as a successful fundraiser and showcase of local artistic talent.
Toward the end of his tenure, Mandel became known for his persistence in securing the downtown arena deal and in closing the City Centre Airport.
In 2013, he chose not to run for a fourth term as mayor, saying the time had come to move on. He was widely considered a top contender to lead the provincial Progressive Conservatives after Alison Redford’s 2014 resignation, but declined.
Although he did not hold provincial office, Mandel was appointed Health Minister under then-premier Jim Prentice – a role he held for just months, until the NDP swept to power in 2015.
In January 2018, he announced his intention to seek the leadership of the Alberta Party.
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