Veteran Calgary city councillor bowing out after 15 years in politics

One of the longest-serving members of Calgary city council said this is his last term, as he will not seek re-election this fall.

Peter Demong has represented Ward 14 in the deep southeast corner of the city since 2010.

A former small businessman, he went to city hall with a tax-fighting zeal that has moderated a bit over time as he learned more about the place.

In his early years on council, Demong voted against city budgets and tax hikes.

But in his later years in office, he came to support tax hikes that ran behind inflation and population growth that he saw as necessary to maintain the services Calgarians expect from the city.

Demong said he'll miss working with people at city hall and ensuring the needs of his ward are looked after.

On the flip side, he jokes he won't miss 14-hour days and 12-hour-long public hearings.

"It's a very stressful job," he said. "I've always tried to be a councillor that doesn't bring city hall's message to Ward 14 but I've tried to bring Ward 14's message to city hall as best I can."

Demong has remained popular with his constituents. When he was re-elected in 2021, he was the only council member to take more than half of the ballots cast in that election.

He points to several accomplishments from his time on council as things he's not only proud of but that will stand the test of time.

He helped interest the City of Calgary in solar-powered rectangular rapid flash beacons (RRFBs) at crosswalks. The units are cheaper than conventional electric powered crosswalk lights, which allowed the city to have the warning lights at more locations.

There are now 230 RRFBs across the city.

Demong also helped with the creation of a curbside composting program. It has been so successful with Calgarians that the program's compost facility is already being expanded.

Following years of advocacy, Demong has also been in office long enough to see the arrival of extended producer responsibility.

Under that program, companies that manufacture packaging materials will soon help cover the cost of collecting and recycling those materials.

Currently, that falls on homeowners who pay for their curbside blue cart recycling program.

As a result of the change, starting in April, Calgarians will see their monthly blue cart charge drop from more than $9 to just $2.

"Fifteen years ago, if you'd told me I was going to become passionate about recycling or composting, I would have laughed in your face so hard," chuckled Demong.

For now, he's not making any firm plans for what he'll do after his term on council ends in October.

For anyone interested in being the next Ward 14 councillor, Demong offers this advice.

"Prepare your family," he said. "If you're doing this [job] properly, it takes a lot of your time, a lot of your effort. And it doesn't end when you go home."

Demong joins four other councillors who have already announced they will not run again. That list includes Ward 3's Jasmine Mian, Ward 4's Sean Chu, Ward 8's Courtney Walcott and Evan Spencer in Ward 12.

Eight other council members, including Mayor Jyoti Gondek, have declared they will seek another term on council this fall.

Calgarians will head to the polls Oct. 20 to elect a new city council.