Calgary’s 2013 civic election is on Monday, October 21.
Candidates running for mayor
NAHEED NENSHI was first elected as Calgary’s mayor in the 2010 civic election, after an unsuccessful run for alderman in 2004. His 2010 campaign for mayor, dubbed the “Purple Revolution”, used Facebook and Twitter to engage voters. Before his victory, Nenshi was a consultant and an instructor in non-profit management at Mount Royal University.
Nenshi garnered praise on social media for his efforts to keep Calgarians informed during the catastrophic June floods. He held several news conferences a day to update the flood emergency, working 43 straight hours when the flooding first hit. One Nenshi news conference went viral when he denounced “yahoos” in canoes and boats on the raging waters of the Bow. His face even appeared on T-shirts, wearing goggles and snorkel.
There was controversy earlier this year over an unexpected $52-million tax surplus. Thousands of Calgarians voted in a survey on what should be done with the money. Even though the majority wanted the money returned to taxpayers, at the urging of Nenshi, city council voted to use the surplus for flood relief and recovery. The survey on the surplus was part of Nenshi’s emphasis on civic engagement during his first term in office. He also donated ten per cent of his 2012 salary in response to a six per cent pay raise approved for city councillors.
His election platform in the 2013 campaign includes reducing traffic congestion, improving transit service, cycling infrastructure and legalizing secondary suites.
CLICK HERE for his campaign website.
LARRY HEATHER is a social conservative and host of a Christian radio show. This is his 15th time running for office. He is best known as an anti-abortion activist. Along with his previous campaigns for mayor, he has also unsuccessfully run for MLA, MP and public school trustee. He has no campaign website at this time.
CLICK HERE for his campaign website.
SANDRA HUNTER is lobbying for the legalization of marijuana. She also believes a $52 million tax surplus should have been returned to city taxpayers. Hunter says excessive logging in Alberta could have mitigated the June floods.
CLICK HERE for her website.
JON LORD was alderman for Ward 8 for two consecutive terms, first elected in 1995.He left city hall for provincial politics and was MLA for the riding of Calgary Currie. He was defeated in 2004 by Liberal Dave Taylor. He later ran for mayor in the 2010 civic election, placing fifth. Lord owns Casablanca Video in Calgary.
He says the main reason he is running is to give Naheed Nenshi some competition.
CLICK HERE for his twitter feed.
BRUCE JACKMAN is a City of Calgary water worker. ***No longer an eligible candidate.
MILAN PAPEZ SR. is a businessman and publisher of the pamphlet of the “Silver Bullet”. In 2002, he was fined $2,500 by the Albertan Human Rights Commission after it ruled one edition of the pamphlet was anti-Asian and anti-Semetic.
He has no campaign website but CLICK HERE for his website criticizing the Human Rights decision.
NORM PERRAULT is a construction contractor and former president of the Bowness Community Association. He has unsuccessfully run for alderman three times. His campaign platform includes lowering property taxes and getting better value for city contracts. He has no campaign website at this time.
JONATHAN SUNSTRUM took a run at the mayor’s chair in 2007. He placed last in a field of nine candidates.
He has no campaign website.
CARTER THOMSON is a business owner who first ran for civic office in 1977. He is campaigning on a platform of curbing spending and property tax increases.
CLICK HERE for his campaign website.
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