Nenshi, departing councillors say goodbye at City Hall

CALGARY — With the Calgary municipal election just over a month away, the mayor and many councillors said their official goodbyes in the council chambers.

There are eight councillors not seeking re-election on Oct. 18, and with Ward 10 Councillor Ray Jones having already stepped down due to medical issues, there will be at least nine new faces around the desk after the dust settles. In addition, the city will also have a brand new mayor after Naheed Nenshi was at the helm for three terms.

Monday marked the last full council meeting until election day, and gave a chance for everyone to say their farewells.

One by one, the councillors rose and gave tribute to a colleague that will be stepping aside, with the departing councillor also rising to reflect on their time in the position.

This included Ward 6’s Jeff Davison crediting Ward 1 Councillor Ward Sutherland for being his mentor, and Ward 8’s Evan Woolley saying Ward 7’s Druh Farrell was a fellow progressive voice who helped draft new policies to shape inner-city life.

Lastly, Mayor Nenshi stood and talked about how far he has come in the role and what has been accomplished since he first took office in 2010.

Thank you to everyone who came out to see me off. Thank you to everyone who has supported me over these past 11 years.

You’ve made it all worth it.#ThankYouNaheed pic.twitter.com/5nepziVEac

— Naheed Nenshi (@nenshi) September 13, 2021

“If you had asked me then, if I would ever, ever have had the chance to do this much for this many, I never would have believed you,” he said. “So thank you all, thank you for everything.”

Councillors around the desk and also those in the gallery, along with other spectators, then gave Nenshi a standing ovation as he wrapped up the speech.

Nenshi also paid tribute to the councillors as well, crediting them for creating positive change and leaving the city in better shape than when they arrived.

“That only happens because every one of you on this table now and over the past two councils and through history have taken a huge risk. You’ve taken a huge risk to put your name out there, to put your family out there, in order to make change. And I am deeply, deeply grateful and humbled by the opportunity to work with all of you.”

The only councillors seeking re-election this time around are Joe Magliocca in Ward 2, Sean Chu in Ward 4, Gian-Carlo Carra in Ward 9, Dianne Colley-Urquhart in Ward 13, and Peter Demong in Ward 14. There are also 28 people seeking election as mayor, including councillors Jyoti Gondek, Jeff Davison, and Jeromy Farkas.