Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek fails in bid for 2nd term

In 2021, Jyoti Gondek made history, becoming the first woman ever elected mayor of Calgary.

Four years later, she becomes the first incumbent to fail to win re-election since 1980 when Ross Alger lost to an upstart politician named Ralph Klein.

After trailing in third place all evening after the polls closed on Monday, Gondek offered a concession speech shortly before midnight.

“This didn’t end up the way we all hoped, but I’m standing here very proud of what we have built together, and I’m profoundly grateful for the privilege of having served this incredible city, the best city in the world,” Gondek said to an assembled crowd of her supporters.

Gondek was first elected as a councillor in Ward 3 in 2017.

Four years later, she was chosen, along with an almost entirely new council, to lead the city out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But her time as mayor quickly got off to a bumpy start with the council’s declaration of a climate emergency in November 2021, which prompted a lot of public backlash.

Add to that the collapse of a deal to build the Flames a new arena and early polls showed she had become deeply unpopular.

Through it all, Gondek remained defiant.

“People elected us to make difficult decisions in a really difficult time,” said Gondek, who focused much of her efforts on promoting investment in the city’s downtown core, making improvements to public transit and addressing concerns about public safety.

She championed Calgary’s economy and resilience and attracted a slew of announcements from new companies interested in setting up shop in Calgary.

“We are seeing a lot of optimism and I’m happy to be a part of that,” Gondek said a year into her term as mayor.

But she also courted controversy by refusing to attend a menorah lighting over concerns about the conflict in Gaza.

For the first time in the city’s history, there was a recall petition launched against the mayor.

The lengthiest public hearing in the city’s history also preceded council’s approval of a new blanket rezoning policy — a key part of the city’s new housing strategy that was adopted in an effort to encourage the construction of more housing and address the affordability crisis.

Protesters showed up at Gondek’s home and she was booed at a Flames game.

Speaking to her supporters Monday night, reflecting on the past four years, Gondek singled out the housing strategy as perhaps her greatest achievement as mayor.

“We fought hard to implement that, and we are better because we stood together as a council and said we can do so much to ensure that everyone in our city can live together with dignity,” Gondek said.

Gondek was also forced to oversee a summer of water restrictions in 2024, made necessary due to the rupture of a critical city water main.

She often butted heads with the provincial government over issues such as infrastructure funding, property taxes and the future of the Green Line LRT.

As Gondek’s time as mayor drew to a close, she continued to express a great deal of optimism about the city’s future, with the population continuing to grow and the new events centre and Green Line back on track.

Asked what Gondek’s legacy will be as mayor, Mount Royal political scientist Duane Bratt said “it’s a bit too early to tell.”

“I don’t think there was any one thing that did this, I think it was cumulative. It has not been easy for her,” Bratt said.

“Politics is a tough business and you’re basically watching someone lose her job in front of the entire city and that is tough.”

With her time as mayor quickly coming to an end Monday night, Gondek also offered her congratulations to her opponents.

“Campaigns are tough and both of the front-runners should be very proud of their accomplishments,” Gondek said.

“Leading the city is going to be hard work and I wish whoever the winner is success in taking on that responsibility.”

“To the people of Calgary, this incredible city,” Gondek added. “Thank you for having given me the great honour of having been the mayor.

“It has been honestly the greatest privilege of my life.”