STEPHANIE KUSIE: Don’t get fooled again, Calgary!

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With the municipal election just weeks away, I can’t help but think of that song by The Who that goes, “I really wanna know (who are you? Who, who, who, who?)”

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Just who are the candidates for city council and mayor and what are their core values?

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That’s what Calgarians didn’t know in 2021 and precisely how we ended up with a leftist ideologue for mayor and a predominantly ‘progressive’ council that, in just four years, has caused a significant amount of damage.

A look back…

If you’re wondering what the heck happened, let me tell you.

Firstly, candidates were not honest about their value sets. For example, Jyoti Gondek positioned herself as a moderate during the election, but soon as soon as becoming mayor, her first order of business was to declare a “Climate Emergency” — something she never campaigned on.

Voters weren’t clear at the time as to who Gondek really is because she was never pushed to disclose her political leanings to electors.

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The result?

Four straight years of failure. Who could forget her divisive climate hysteria, new arena boondoggle, her disastrous single-use items bylaw, painful property tax increases, defunding of the police, calling Canada Day fireworks “racist,” her abandonment of Calgary’s Jewish Community at their darkest hour, or her terrible management of the feeder main failure and prolonged water ban? Not to mention the absolute farce of a public hearing held on blanket rezoning and her refusal to hold a plebiscite.

Another major issue in the 2021 election was having too many candidates on a single ballot. For example, eight candidates ran in Ward 11, resulting in a vote split that made Kourtney Penner councillor with just 28% of the vote — a weak mandate. Ms. Penner went on to ignore the will of her ward by voting in favour of blanket rezoning and the Glenmore Landing project.

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Note also there were 27 candidates on the mayoral ballot, which made the choice confusing for voters. Many opted to simply stay home on election night. Voter turnout was a dismal 46%.

Lastly, third-party advertisers and PACs (political action committees) consisting of union bosses disguised as feel-good associations funnelled millions of union dues into the campaign bank accounts of their preferred progressive candidates.

Not wanting to see any of this repeated, I personally worked with the Alberta government to pass Bill 20, which enabled the formation of municipal political parties (in Calgary and Edmonton) and mandated more transparency surrounding campaign financing and donations.

When a candidate is successfully vetted by their respective political party, it becomes clear to voters where they stand ideologically. And it also means there is just one candidate running under that party’s banner per ward, helping prevent that nasty vote split I mentioned earlier. If a candidate runs as an independent, it might indicate an apprehension to disclose their true values and beliefs.

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Purple persona

Remember, Naheed Nenshi touted his purple persona for a decade saying he was somewhere in between a Liberal and a Conservative. Now we know he’s full-on orange.

Jeromy Farkas, who was considered the conservative mayoral candidate in 2021 has since done a 180. He practically endorsed the NDP in the last provincial election and has been unclear on his views relative to blanket rezoning.

We just don’t know who these people really are.

All the more reason to look very closely at the candidates. If their political leanings are unclear, it was likely designed it that way.

Wherever you fall on the spectrum, I encourage you to choose a candidate who is transparent and forthright. There should be no surprises.

Take it from me or take it from the Who — but whatever you do, Calgary — don’t get fooled again.

Stephanie Kusie is MP for Calgary Midnapore.

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