Copyright westernstandard
Common sense during the 2021-2025 version of Calgary City council was hijacked by a far-left wing, woke faction, known here as Gondek’s Gang, that gave Calgarians a series of blunders and misjudgments, fueled by ideology. There are too many to mention, but high on the list were the bag bylaw, the blanket upzoning bylaw and the renaming of Fort Calgary. Gondek’s Gang is gone, some choosing not to run for reelection, and some, including its leader, losing their bids to return to office. So, what does the new bunch look like? With the understanding there are going to be some recounts, not the least of which will be the votes cast for Mayor-elect Jeromy Farkas and his closest competitor, Sonya Sharp, let’s see what we’re dealing with, based on candidates’ websites and platform materials. First, and most importantly, there are 10 new faces on council, from both sides of the political aisle and in the centre. Mayor-elect Farkas has travelled both the left and the right sides, but from where we sit, he has moved to the middle ground. Farkas says he’s made some mistakes in his previous journeys, and Western Standard is taking his word for it, unless he proves otherwise, then, we won’t hesitate to put his feet to the fire. .How does the rest of council measure up? Here’s our take. Ward 1, Kim Tyers. Her first term on council, replacing Sonya Sharp. Definitely to the right. Ward 2, Jennifer Wyness. Reelected. Wyness stays in the centre on most issues, but can lean left at times Ward 3, Andrew Yule. A newbie on council, with leftist politics. Ward 4, DJ Kelly. Another first-timer; also left. Ward 5, Raj Dhaliwal. Reelected. Occasional centrist. but mostly left. Ward 6, John Pantazopoulos. First timer, more a centrist. Ward 7, Myke Atkinson. Interesting spelling of his first name, Atkinson is new and left.. Ward 8, Nathaniel Schmidt. Another of the 10 new faces who is left. Ward 9, Harrison Clark. Also new and left. Ward 10, Andre Chabot. Longest serving member of council, on the right. Ward 11, Ron Ward. Former Western Standard bearer; everything’s all right. Ward 12, Mike Jamieson. Interesting spelling of his first name. Plays right wing. Ward 13, Dan Mclean. Reelected. Right wing, through and through. Ward 14, Landon Johnston. First-timer and the man who started the Jyoti Gondek recall campaign. definitely on the right. .It adds up to six on the right side, two in the middle and six on the left, with Farkas, by our measure, in the centre, for a total of 15 councillors. It gives Farkas, and the councillors identified as being in the centre, a lot of power that needs to be used with common sense, not ideology. The first big test will be a motion to repeal the banket upzoning bylaw, which Farkas has promised to put to council. As the ‘leader’ of city council, it is Farkas’ duty to guide council in doing what is best for all Calgarians and to listen to Calgarians, not just special interest groups. The new council will be sworn in on Oct. 29 and will go through orientation and organizational sessions before it's first official meeting, a public hearing on Nov. 18.
