Nenshi will not run for re-election in Calgary’s 2021 municipal vote

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Mayor Naheed Nenshi says he received’t run for re-election this yr, placing an finish to the “purple revolution” at metropolis corridor and stopping the hypothesis that began virtually as quickly because the votes had been tallied within the 2017 race.

“I’m at peace,” he stated Tuesday, with amusing. “That sounds so dangerous. It seems like I’m doing one thing terrible.”

Talking to Calgarians throughout a Fb Dwell, he hearkened again to the vitality that carried him into workplace almost 11 years in the past.

“Thanks for taking an opportunity on a nerdy professor who didn’t match any of the bins he was supposed to suit,” he stated.

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The choice comes after admitted “procrastination” on the three-term mayor’s half. He’s been identified to announce his plans a yr earlier than the subsequent marketing campaign — later this month will mark the six-month countdown to the Oct. 18 vote. Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson introduced in November that his present time period can be his final.

Nenshi isn’t ruling out one other stint in politics “within the distant future,” however dismissed hypothesis that he has plans to change into a federal Liberal candidate.

The outgoing mayor stated he landed at a spot the place he seems like leaving elected workplace is each the precise path for Calgary and for him personally.

“The toughest conversations had been actually those I had with myself. I needed to reply questions like: are you doing what your dad at all times informed you to do, which is go away it higher than you discovered it? Is that this the precise time, with all these mountains in entrance of us?” he stated.

Nenshi’s job, like all the pieces else, has been dramatically modified by the pandemic. On Tuesday morning, he ought to have been finishing up the solemn Canadian mayoral ceremony of filling a pothole for information cameras. As an alternative, he spoke about pothole season from his dwelling in a digital information convention, and his election determination was rolled out in a video posted to Fb.

He informed Postmedia final yr that the pandemic was an added layer of stress on his determination about his political future.

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However he stated he slept properly figuring out that his selection was about to change into public.

“If we’ve realized something over this previous yr, we’ve realized that there are such a lot of voices on the market — new voices, numerous voices — that don’t really feel like they’re being heard. And it felt like the precise time to make some area, to make some room for some new voices.”

Calgarians know Nenshi’s story properly. He scored an upset win within the 2010 mayoral race as a relative political outsider in opposition to Ric McIver and Barb Higgins. At 38, the Mount Royal College non-profit administration professor and metropolis corridor watcher constructed a marketing campaign that bucked traits and exceeded expectations, going from a long-shot candidate polling at lower than 10 per cent assist to profitable with virtually 40 per cent of the vote.

He shortly made worldwide headlines as the primary particular person of color to be Calgary’s mayor, and the primary Muslim mayor of a serious Canadian metropolis.

Later, his reputation soared after he helped lead Calgary by the disaster of the 2013 floods, and one yr later he was given the World Mayor Prize.

When he was sworn in for his first time period, Nenshi promised Calgarians that he’d do issues in a different way.

“We’ll make it simpler so that you can have interaction in our dialog. We’ll higher perceive your wants and your priorities and we’ll act on them. We’ll hear. We’ll get past division and individualism to work collectively for one of the best pursuits of all Calgarians. And we’ll do it each single day,” he stated.

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Trying again, he seems like he achieved what he got down to do.

He stated making an attempt to reply the query about his legacy in Calgary is intimidating, however he factors to issues which were constructed: from the brand new Central Library and the MAX BRT bus community to new interchanges and street tasks throughout town.

A alternative for the Saddledome and the ultimate alignment for the Inexperienced Line had been additionally accepted on his watch, though development on the LRT megaproject has now been delayed into at the very least 2022.

“What I stated is we’re going to alter how folks work together with their authorities,” he stated. “And again in 2010 . . . folks considered elections as foregone conclusions, and authorities was one thing that occurred to you.

“I’m actually happy with how deeply engaged folks have gotten locally over these previous 10 years.”

The civic political discipline shapes up

Tuesday’s information resolves the most important query mark round this yr’s municipal vote: Is there an incumbent within the mayoral race?

Calgary’s mayoral race was getting crowded even earlier than Nenshi’s announcement — 10 candidates have registered to run for mayor, together with two metropolis councillors.

An open race for the primary time in a decade might immediate much more folks to throw their hat within the ring.

There’s additionally a sea change forward for council. Nenshi’s determination means at the very least seven of the 15 seats across the metropolis corridor horseshoe might be open, between councillors retiring, opting to not run once more or making an attempt for the mayor’s chair. Solely Ward 2 Coun. Joe Magliocca and Ward 9 Coun. Gian-Carlo Carra haven’t publicly introduced their intentions.

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Nenshi stated late final yr that Calgary wants a mayor “to fulfill the second,” with the COVID-19 pandemic and one other oil value downturn hammering town’s financial system. However the public well being disaster arrived in Calgary on high of a wrestle with stubbornly excessive unemployment and workplace emptiness charges, and the stakes are excessive for selections about how you can rebuild.

For now, Nenshi says he has no plans to endorse anybody.

“However it could not be in my nature to sit down down and shut up throughout any election,” he added.

“I’ll proceed to assist folks perceive the problems. I can’t hesitate to name out candidates who’re misrepresenting the problems in order that residents actually know what the alternatives are earlier than them.”

masmith@postmedia.com

Twitter: @meksmith