Calgary councillor not seeking re-election due to provincial intervention and partisan politics
Ward 3 Coun. Jasmine Mian won't run for 2nd term
As uncertainty continues to cloud the Green Line LRT project, even as construction could begin this year, Ward 3 Coun. Jasmine Mian worries Calgary is becoming a city that can't get things done.
That's partly why she's signalled she won't be returning for another term on council.
During Tuesday's city council meeting, Mian announced she wouldn't seek re-election this fall. The primary factor behind her decision, she explained, is how the provincial government has backed city council into a corner on the Green Line, removing much of the city's control on a project it has ultimate accountability for.
Now, Mian worries the project is unlikely to connect to the city's downtown, as debate rages on about whether the train will arrive there on elevated tracks — and unlikely to reach the north side of the city.
"We're staring down the barrel of a gun, being told to do what the provincial government says and to pay for it as well," Mian told CBC News on Wednesday.
"No one wants to let the project collapse, but I think as a result of that, there were governance decisions that are being made to continue that I don't think are sound, and are not things that I want to continue to represent."
Pawns in political game
The news came a couple weeks after Ward 12 Coun. Evan Spencer announced he also wouldn't run in the October municipal election. Spencer cited a growing trend of politicians being rewarded for grandstanding and attacking opponents, rather than collaboration.
Similarly, Mian believes politics is taking precedence on council over delivering value.
On the Green Line, she argues, this took shape after former Calgary mayor Naheed Nenshi became leader of the Alberta NDP. Since then, she says the provincial government was more interested in making decisions on the project that would criticize Nenshi's past work, resulting in a transit line of lower quality, higher cost and unknown risk.
"I think that cities are really a pawn in this larger political game," Mian said.
"People who are thoughtful and critical and good governors will quickly get exhausted from the politics. And you end up with people on city council who are really just there to hold a seat and to enable more politicking, which I don't think is good for the future of our city."
The result, Mian predicts, will be more councillors experiencing burnout and lasting only one term on council.
"I don't think that's a good thing for the long-term governance of the city," Mian said. "You need some people to stay who have had that long-term view."
When asked about the possibility that the province's interventions on municipal projects like the Green Line could dissuade some people from serving on city council, Alberta Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors Devin Dreeshen said he doesn't want to weigh in on why anyone may or may not seek election or re-election, but noted he's heard plenty of frustration about council in Calgary.
A more partisan city council
Ward 3 residents will vote for a new representative this fall, without an incumbent in the race, for the third consecutive election. Jyoti Gondek represented the ward from 2017 to 2021 before running for mayor, following Jim Stevenson's term on council from 2007 to 2017.
This fall's municipal election will also be the first in Calgary with political parties — a prospect that is also influencing Mian's decision to step away. She'd rather see councillors accountable as individuals rather than voting along party lines.
The result could be a more partisan city council, a problem that was already flagged by former Ward 12 councillor Shane Keating in 2020.
Keating, who served on council from 2010 to 2021, announced he wouldn't seek re-election partly due to how partisan and overtly political council had become. Since then, Keating believes the problem has only gotten worse.
"You're supposed to be there to do the best job you can for the citizens of Calgary," Keating said. "You can't be there to fight a battle for no reason other than you're fighting a battle with other people, whether it's parties or partisan politics."
Keating worries that constant internal bickering will dissuade people from wanting to run for council.
During his time on council, Keating chaired the Green Line committee, where he championed the project. He argues that what started out as a great project has ended up a disaster by descending into partisan, nitpicking politics.
"You can't run the orders of government in Canadian society if one level is going to hold everyone else hostage," Keating said.
Thus far, Mayor Gondek and seven councillors have said they're seeking re-election in Calgary this fall. Mian, Spencer and Ward 4 Coun. Sean Chu have previously said they won't run for re-election.
Three others — Courtney Walcott, Gian-Carlo Carra and Peter Demong — have not publicly stated whether they will run this fall.
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