Meet The Top Candidates Vying To Be Edmonton’s Next Mayor - Beritaja
In a week and a half, Albertans will caput to the polls to elite a caller slate of municipal representatives.
In Edmonton, that intends a caller mayor, metropolis councillors, and trustees for some the nationalist and Catholic schoolhouse districts.
There is nary incumbent for the mayor’s seat, aft Amarjeet Sohi decided not to tally again amid debased polling.
While 13 group — 12 men and 1 female — submitted paperwork to tally for mayor, polling has recovered six of those candidates person a likelihood of getting capable votes.
They are existent metropolis councillors Tim Cartmell and Andrew Knack, erstwhile councillors Tony Caterina and Michael Walkers, erstwhile MP Rahim Jaffer, and a lone governmental extracurricular — pediatric dentist Omar Mohammad.
In caller weeks, Global Edmonton newsman Sarah Komadina sat down pinch each six men for extended interviews connected why they consciousness they person what it takes to lead a increasing metropolis of complete a cardinal people.
Watch what they said below.
Election time is Monday, Oct. 20. BERITAJA will person results sum that evening and successful the ensuing days.
Tim Cartmell
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Edmonton mayoral campaigner Tim Cartmell interview
Edmonton mayoral campaigner Tim Cartmell has been representing the southwest Edmonton Ward pihêsiwin (formerly Ward 9) since 2017.
His mayoral tally announcement past November had been anticipated for galore months.
Before becoming a metropolis councillor, Cartmell was a mini business proprietor and technologist who specialized successful structural creation and task management. He besides worked for the Alberta’s government’s Treasury Board Ministry.
In his clip connected council, Cartmell has been vocal about the request for the metropolis to unrecorded wrong its means.
His run level focuses connected fiscal responsibility, safer streets and neighbourhoods, cracking down connected taxes, doing a much businesslike occupation astatine building nationalist infrastructure, and amended guidance of halfway services for illustration snowfall removal.
Cartmell has called for the metropolis to revisit the existent infill policy amid concerns from established neighbourhoods.
This predetermination is the first clip section governmental parties are allowed successful municipal politics.
The latest word connected assembly was challenging, Cartmell said, noting relationships were strained betwixt immoderate councillors. He said he felt he could lead a much collaborative group.
To that end, Cartmell is the only mayoral campaigner pinch a party: Better Edmonton, which has put up a slate of candidates successful each wards that includes existent councillor Karen Principe and erstwhile Edmonton Police Association president Mike Elliott.
Tony Caterina
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Edmonton mayoral campaigner Tony Caterina interview
Edmonton mayoral campaigner Tony Caterina believes his erstwhile assembly and life acquisition is what is needed for the job.
Caterina represented Ward 7 from 2007 until 2021.
Caterina grew up successful Edmonton’s McCauley neighbourhood and was a business proprietor successful the downtown halfway successful the 1970s.
He took a time off from metropolis assembly to tally successful 2015 provincial predetermination arsenic the campaigner for the Progressive Conservatives successful the Edmonton-Beverly-Clareview riding, but but was hit retired by NDP MLA Deron Bilous.
In 2021 aft ward boundaries moved, Caterina changed wards and ran successful O-day’min, wherever he mislaid to existent councillor Anne Stevenson.
The seasoned leader feels his fiscal level will get him the votes he couldn’t unafraid past election. He came retired of status a twelvemonth agone to tally for mayor, and is moving a grassroots run pinch nary agency aliases section signs — which he says is simply a testament to his dedication to fiscal responsibility.
He is moving connected being stricter connected taxation increases, information and information — including a zero-tolerance attack to unfastened aerial supplier usage and societal upset — and get backmost to the basics. He believes the measurement the metropolis is handling infill lodging is not working.
Caterina is moving arsenic an independent candidate.
Rahim Jaffer
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Edmonton mayoral campaigner Rahim Jaffer interview
Edmonton mayoral campaigner Rahim Jaffer is nary alien to politics, but this is his first foray into the municipal level.
Jaffer, whose family came to Canada erstwhile he was a kid to flight persecution successful Uganda, was elected arsenic a Member of Parliament successful 1997. Under the Reform Party, which yet became the Conservative Party, the then-25-year-old was the first Muslim elected to House of Commons.
Jaffer held onto his national spot until 2008, erstwhile he mislaid the Edmonton Strathcona riding successful a astonishing conclusion to Linda Duncan of the NDP.
He knowledgeable various ineligible troubles aft that, including impaired driving and cocaine possession charges that were later thrown out, arsenic good arsenic being recovered successful usurpation lobbying rules.
In announcing his tally for mayor, Jaffer said he’s grown from the mistakes of his younker and has nary skeletons successful his closet because they person already been laid retired for each to see.
In caller years, he’s focused connected raising his family and moving a java shop connected Whyte Avenue. Jaffer says the metropolis isn’t working. Jaffer said he would unit metropolis hallway to activity wrong existing gross and petition audits to find savings.
He said he is moving make the streets safer pinch much constabulary hires while besides freezing caller motorcycle lane construction, reviving businesses and rolling backmost taxes — saying his acquisition arsenic a Conservative MP will thief him push to get backmost to the basics.
Jaffer is moving arsenic an independent candidate.
Andrew Knack
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Edmonton mayoral campaigner Andrew Knack interview
Edmonton mayoral campaigner Andrew Knack was group to time off metropolis hallway aft representing Nakota Isga successful westbound Edmonton since 2013 — he moreover announced past twelvemonth he’d beryllium stepping distant from municipal politics.
But past this past spring, Knack began fielding requests to tally for the city’s apical job and successful in May, launched his campaign.
Before being elected to council, Knack managed a unit business successful West Edmonton Mall.
Knack says he is the only mayoral campaigner 1 being honorable and realistic about taxes, explaining he would advocator for responsible fund but not 1 that cuts backmost connected basal services.
He is promising affordability, a safer metropolis and a beardown economy. Knack said infill developments play a captious domiciled successful lodging affordability and sprawl sustainability, but location are concerns from the nationalist that do request to beryllium addressed.
While homelessness and lodging is simply a provincial responsibility, Knack said Edmonton ends up dealing pinch the societal upset and fallout of group falling done the cracks truthful he would push for the metropolis to do much to reside it.
Knack is moving arsenic an independent candidate.
Omar Mohammad
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Edmonton mayoral campaigner Omar Mohammad interview
Edmonton mayoral campaigner Omar Mohammad is not a profession leader and his run is not traditional.
Mohammad’s strategy includes a touch of humour and leaning heavy connected societal media, pinch humorous run videos intended to summation engagement amongst young voters.
The pediatric dentist was calved and raised successful Edmonton, and said his resume alternatively includes past gigs arsenic a newspaper carrier, mechanic, filmmaker, educator, and business owner.
Mohammad said his life includes periods of nutrient and lodging insecurity that led to shelter stays and homelessness — acquisition he feels has near him the devices to lead metropolis assembly from a spot of first-hand knowledge.
The first-time candidate sold his dental believe successful bid to tally for mayor. He said he elected for that complete moving for metropolis assembly first, arsenic he felt he could beryllium a much effective sound for alteration successful the mayor’s seat.
Mohammad wants to guarantee fiscal work successful metropolis hall, information for Edmontonians and shelter for the vulnerable. He said he would frost taxes for homeowners and businesses, activity connected making the metropolis safer and thief mini businesses.
Mohammad is moving arsenic an independent candidate.
Michael Walters
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Edmonton mayoral campaigner Michael Walters interview
Edmonton mayoral candidate Michael Walters said he is the alteration the metropolis needs.
Prior to entering politics, he spent 20 years moving arsenic a organization organizer and argumentation leader and says he holds perspectives connected some the near and correct broadside of the governmental spectrum.
He received the Queen’s Jubilee badge successful 2000 for his activity astatine Edmonton’s Bissell Centre, was chosen arsenic 1 of Edmonton’s Top 40 nether 40 by Avenue Magazine successful 2009 and was named 1 of Alberta’s Next 10 Most Influential Leaders by Alberta Venture mag successful 2013.
Walters was first elected to Edmonton metropolis assembly successful 2013 and was re-elected successful 2017. He did not activity re-election successful 2021.
After 4 years arsenic a resident connected the extracurricular looking in, Walters wants backmost in.
Walters calls himself a conjugation builder astatine a clip erstwhile the metropolis needs beardown relationships.
He said Edmonton has to reside difficult issues specified arsenic the city’s reside connected policing, the narration pinch the provincial government, homelessness and the related societal disorder, making not conscionable downtown but each of the metropolis safer, building delays and taxation increases.
He said he will attraction connected getting metropolis services done right, support susceptible residents and thief turn the city.
Walters is moving arsenic an independent candidate.
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"Meet The Top Candidates Vying To Be Edmonton’s Next Mayor - Beritaja"
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