The Fight for City Hall: A Look at the Calgary Mayoral Race
Calgary’s next mayoral election has shaped up to be a highly contested event. With the Government of Alberta’s imposition of new electoral reforms, which include the introduction of municipal political parties, the contest is wide open. Voters are scheduled to cast their ballots on October 20th, 2025, so let's look into who is most likely to lead Calgary for the upcoming four years.
The development of municipal political parties has so far seen higher levels of organization in Calgary than in Edmonton. At present, there are three major political parties, two of which are affiliated with a mayoral candidate's campaign. In combination with the independents, there are five major contenders for the office of mayor.
Jyoti Gondek
First on our list is Jyoti Gondek, Calgary’s current mayor and the incumbent in the race. Despite months of rumours debating whether she would run for the position again, Gondek announced her intention to run again in late November of 2024. Her candidacy will remain independent, not tied to a formal political party or slate of councillor candidates. In describing the provincial move towards electoral reforms, she described political parties as “the kiss of death for local representation.” Her campaign has centred around fighting against a trend towards the passing down of responsibilities from federal and provincial governments to municipalities, often without necessary financial support.
Jeromy Farkas
Former Calgary City Councillor Jeromy Farkas is a strong challenger for incumbent Gondek. Serving on the council from 2017 to 2021, and coming in second to Gondek in the 2021 mayoral election, Farkas is offering to focus on tackling “household costs, jobs, and safety.” Farkas has also chosen to run as an independent and does not have the backing of an organized political party. Farkas is looking to expand upon the 30 per cent of the popular vote he earned in 2021 to secure the mayoralty. Given the relatively high number of well-organized candidates in the running for 2025, a strong plurality of votes will likely be sufficient.
Sonya Sharp
Sonya Sharp is a current single-term councillor, currently representing Ward 1. Having previously worked in city administration, Sharp has been a strong critic of the perceived ineffectiveness of Calgary’s current council and mayor. She has joined three other councillors, Andre Chabot, Dan McLean and Terry Wong, to form the Communities First party. A major focus of Sharp and Communities First is opposition to the controversial blanket rezoning policy, which passed in 2024.
Brian Theissen
Unlike the other four candidates, Theissen has not been an elected official at the municipal level in Calgary. Rather, he draws from a background in law, chairing the Calgary Police Commission, and his tenure as President of the provincial-level Alberta Party. Theissen is self-branded as a political centrist and has established the Calgary Party in turn. Promises include “making Calgary safer, more inclusive, and more responsive to the needs of its residents.” Alongside Theissen will be a group of councillor candidates running under the Calgary Party banner.
Jeff Davison
Jeff Davison served as Councillor for Ward 6 from 2017 to 2021 and unsuccessfully ran for mayor in 2021, placing third. He has also chosen to run as an independent and has not aligned with a slate of like-minded councillor candidates. His signature campaign promise is to impose a four-year freeze on property tax increases in Calgary.
What is at Stake?
Provincial reforms to municipal politics, including the introduction of political parties, were largely framed as a response to the perceived chaos and ineffectiveness of the city council. The resulting makeup of City Hall following the 2025 election will test these reforms. Additionally, parties like A Better Calgary, without an attached mayoral candidate, pose to reshape council dynamics, separate from whoever is chosen to be the city’s next mayor. While a unified council of like-minded candidates may result, the enduring strength of the independent campaigns will be tested.
The race has largely centred on candidate's responses to rising property taxes, housing affordability, public safety, and urban growth. Transit expansion, municipal-provincial relations, and cost-of-living pressures have also emerged as dominant issues. In the race for mayor, confidence in a candidate’s ability to respond to a crisis may also be an important theme, as conflicts with the provincial government over issues like the Green Line LRT expansion and the 2024 Bearspaw waterline break have greatly impacted the city throughout the past term.
As autumn approaches, candidates will continue to make their pitch to voters. Calgary Stampede, in particular, is likely to see a heightened presence of municipal candidates who will all be vying for community visibility and support. Keeping abreast of the race is important, as its outcome may dramatically reshape how Alberta’s largest city acts and operates, setting a new relationship of either cooperation or opposition to the Government of Alberta.