Party politics in the city administration? Calgary's mayor says no

Alberta Premier Daniel Smith says he's “in favor” of introducing party politics at the municipal level, but Calgary's mayor is adamantly against it.

Smith said on his “Your Province” radio show that he supports the idea. Your Prime Minister, on Saturday, even said that legislation on the matter could be introduced by the province in the spring.

“We have 355 municipalities. The smaller municipalities — I don't know if they're partisan — but when you go into a city like Calgary or Edmonton, you better believe it's partisan,” Smith said.

It's an idea that Calgary's mayor did not support.

“I'm not affiliated with a party and I don't want to be, so I don't know what more transparency (Smith) would want from someone like me,” Mayor Jyoti Gondek told reporters on Tuesday.

“(The premier) would take people who are willing to work for Calgarians first, not the party, and make them ineligible for election, and I think that would be a huge disservice.”

Speaking on his radio show, Smith said municipal governments are “too often” distracted from addressing local infrastructure and waste collection issues.

The premier pointed to the one-time rules in Calgary and Edmonton as issues politicians didn't campaign on and should have.

“I would say that because they're becoming much more political and much more ideological now, there needs to be a little more transparency about that,” Smith added.

Alberta Municipalities, an advocacy group representing more than 300 cities, towns and villages across the province, says its members overwhelmingly oppose political parties in local elections.

According to the association, a poll commissioned by Janet Brown in September 2023 found that 68 percent of Albertans opposed the idea of ​​municipal-level political parties.

“The current model of municipal governance ensures that local elected officials, chosen by a majority of voting residents, protect the interests of their residents and businesses,” said Tyler Gundam, president of Alberta Municipalities and mayor of Wetaskiwin.

“Local governments need to be a safe space for conversation and dialogue between neighbors without the divisiveness and tension that we see at the provincial and federal levels,” he said.

However, some Calgary city councilors believe it's time to explore the idea.

10th district. Andre Chabot says he used to believe in the independence of private council members, but not so much anymore.

“Even municipal government seems to have party lines,” he said.

“So having the ability to tell people before they vote gives them a better idea of ​​who they're going to vote for.”