Edmonton councillor Andrew Knack seeking re-election in 2021

Edmonton city councillor Andrew Knack has announced he will seek re-election in the upcoming municipal election this fall.

Knack has represented Ward 1 in northwest Edmonton since 2013. He is seeking re-election in the ward, which will be renamed Nakota Isga on election day Oct. 18.

“Serving Edmontonians is one of the greatest honours of my life,” Knack said in a news release Thursday.

“This past year has especially shown me the importance of community and bringing my best efforts to council to help our city emerge from this challenging time. After engaging with people from across the city and region, I have decided to seek re-election as city councillor.

“Through these recent conversations, and years of engaging with Edmontonians, I have been able to gain a deeper understanding of the different challenges and opportunities we have as a city. I hope to be given the opportunity to bring my knowledge, commitment and experience to council for another term.”

Knack joins several of his current councillors who have announced they will seek re-election this fall, including Bev Esslinger, Aaron Paquette, Tim Cartmell, Tony Caterina and Jon Dziadyk.

Councillors Scott McKeen and Michael Walters have announced they won’t be seeking re-election.

Knack said he went back and forth on whether to run again for council or take a run at the mayor’s chair. Ultimately, a couple of factors played a role in his decision to run for council again. The first of those being the turnover Edmonton will see on council.

“It is likely that we will see at least five new members of council, if not more. And when you have that kind of turnover, it’s important to have experienced voices at the table to help guide the new voices. I was in that position almost eight years ago,” Knack said Thursday.

Knack was one of six new members on council when he was first elected in 2013.

“Having those long-terms voices was so important to understanding how things work and how I can accomplish the change I wanted to bring forward.”

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The second factor in his decision not to run for mayor was that there were other like-minded candidates seeking the position.

“I think it’s fair to say that there will be one or more candidates who I share fairly similar values with,” he explained.

“Therefore, why put my name forward when I have somebody that I feel confident about or multiple people that I’ll feel confident about, and then be able to help aide whoever comes forward as our next mayor as that more experienced voice on council, if people will have me.”

Edmonton will see a new mayor elected this fall, after Don Iveson announced late last year that he will not seek another term.

When it comes to issues facing the west Edmonton ward he’s seeking to once again represent, Knack said one of the biggest is the construction of the Valley Line LRT.

“The project has started but the major construction doesn’t begin until 2022. And knowing how massive that project is, we need to make sure that we’re working with all of the communities along the line to ensure that it’s as successful as possible.”

Other issues include infrastructure needs, particularly in the newer areas outside Anthony Henday Drive.

“There’s roads that need to be widened, there’s infrastructure like libraries and recreation centres that need to be built and yet we are constrained financially now. So how you bring forward those pieces of infrastructure in new and innovative ways is going to be really critical for the next council because chances are we’re not going to be able to fund them 100 per cent ourselves.”

So far, six people have officially filed their papers to run for mayor, including Ward 11 Councillor Mike Nickel and former city councillors Kim Krushell and Michael Oshry. Diana Steele, Cheryll Watson and Brian Gregg have also announced they are running for mayor this fall.

Knack currently serves as the council representative on the Accessibility Advisory Committee, City of Edmonton Youth Council and Edmonton Transit System Advisory Board. He is responsible for four council Initiatives: NextGen, Seniors, Public Engagement and Transportation Innovation.

Knack also sits on the Edmonton Public Library Board of Trustees and the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) board of directors as vice president for Edmonton.

Aspiring candidates have until Sept. 20, 2021, to file their nomination papers and pay the deposit. Candidates for mayor must pay a deposit of $500. Candidates for councillor and school board trustee must pay a deposit of $100.

For more information on the nomination process, visit the City of Edmonton’s website.

Edmonton’s municipal election will be held on Monday, Oct. 18.