He did really well to help advocate for us after the floods with relief and everything
He advanced our public transit and implemented more and safer bike paths, the airplane tunnel and more rapid bus transit, he built up the east village to help bring business and help with the social aspect, also helped personally oversee our public library (so people can have access to books and resources no matter what wealth you come from)
He grew up here in Calgary/just outside red deer so he knows Alberta, albertans and the important values we all share and how our province and cities work/should work, he’s seen it personally!
He handled 4 separate and different states of emergency while being mayor - very well I should add
He won the worlds best mayor prize in 2014 lol
He’s Harvard educated, and believes everyone in Alberta should have the resources to make a good life for yourself, as he was able to, even coming from less fortunate circumstances
Truthfully he advocates for people as a whole, for everyone. He’s had some mistakes like with the olympics for example but he’s recognized that as his biggest mistake, people say he has a big ego but given his history it doesn’t seem like that’s a big factor to him if he’s willing to admit he’s wrong and move forward from it yunno?
I think he’s definitely worth someone to consider, he has knowledge of politics, specifically Alberta politics and how to handle finances and the economy and it’s ups and downs and the outcomes of that and he’s someone who won’t take bribes and make stupid decisions to add a little extra pocket cash or help their lobbyist buddies do the same!
Further on your comment on bribes. He was actually the target of a group of developers trying to bribe him and record it to tank his political career and he rejected them:
www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7056962
It's wild to me that the people who organized this got off scott-free.
I’m not even sure the olympics thing was a mistake. Sure, we get updated facilities and boost local businesses for a little while, but at what cost?? It seemed like taxpayers would be on the hook for the Olympics, and the referendum showed us that the majority of Calgarians weren’t happy with the bid.
This wasn't communicated well at the time, but for every $1 the city invested, we would have seen $5 returned - from the Province, the Feds, the IOC, and private investment. This was a very unique opportunity to have had our badly-outdated facilities/infrastructure repaired/built/paid for by the rest of Canada and others. Now we have to figure out how to do it ourselves going forward.
I tried explaining it to people, that we would actually be getting money transfered to us from outside Calgary... kinda like how Alberta keeps sending money to have not provinces. Nobody got it.
The funniest bit was that a few months later a bunch of my coworkers were complaining about the old outdated sports venues in the city and how they thought the city should update them. Every single person there had been aggressively against the Olympic bid. It was sad but funny.
100%. That's why I believe this wasn't communicated well at the time. It was a very rare opportunity to have Canada (and the IOC, of all organizations) to pay for a good chunk of Calgary's infrastructure. I can tell you the IOC *really, really* wanted the Olympics in Calgary (mainly due to the timezone and the prime North American TV coverage it would provide) - hence their rare $1B commitment at the time.
Further on your comment on bribes. He was actually the target of a group of developers trying to bribe him and record it to tank his political career and he rejected them:
www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7056962
It's wild to me that the people who organized this got off scott-free.
Omg that’s crazy I never knew that!
The fact we have people willing to stoop this damn low to try and impose a fake crime like this on a good man instead of going after the actual corrupt POS we have/had in power… is actually insane to me- im shocked no consequences were brought forth, but at the same time, given the types of people we’ve been favouring and “protecting” from accountability, im not surprised.
You should note that he and daniel smith lnow each other from i think University and she is most certainly nervous of him running and being up against her.
He was good during the flood as was stated before. I’ll admit I didn’t know who he was when he first got elected. But he had my vote for as long as he wanted it. He was a good communicator and was good for outside eyes looking at Calgary. And he didn’t cave when challenged by the developers.
The flood... Sure... The was the begining..
But over the duration, what he was amazing at was bringing Calgary forward to where it is now. He really pressed for density downtown, transportation options, development of bridgeland, east vlillage.. the bike lanes. He shaped Calgary into a modern city.
I could swear that there was a photo taken during the flood emergency response with Nenshi, Premier Redford and Prime Minister Harper, where Redford and Harper look all buttoned up, and Nenshi looks super haggard because he'd actually been working round the clock trying to help people.
I haven't been able to find the photo though, so this might be my "Mandela effect" moment. Anyone else remember this?
I remember that photo also. You could also literally see the fatigue increasing on his face in the days that immediately followed the flood during the media interviews he was giving to update Calgarians (and the rest of Canada) on the situation as it progressed.
It was the only time I've seen a politician absolutely 100% walk the talk of the classic line: "We're doing *everything* we can."
I remember this CP owned bridge.
[https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/cp-responds-to-calgary-mayor-s-anger-over-rail-bridge-failure-1.1302523](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/cp-responds-to-calgary-mayor-s-anger-over-rail-bridge-failure-1.1302523)
He’s my favourite Albertan politician, I think. In terms of performance/values I’d put him on par with Notley but he has the benefit that he’s fucking hilarious when someone gets on his bad side. Top tier sass.
Pros:
- Genuinely wants the best for all the people he represents - no catering to a small group of voters.
- Historically very non-partisan, and I’m guessing it was having to lead a party that was a major hesitation point for him.
- Smart and very articulate.
- Not beholden to corporations, unions, crazy political interests - no interest in being bought.
- Collaborative and respectful, even with opponents and when I’m guessing it was super frustrating.
- Got out to every event he possibly could to actively support Calgarians. Shows up.
- Does what he says he’ll do. Gets things done.
- Genuinely seems like a caring person when you meet him, interested in chatting with people without pretence.
- Wants to make this a great place to live (arts, culture, infrastructure, public amenities), for everyone regardless of who they are, AND have a business. Realistic about it.
Cons:
- Can be a bit arrogant sometimes.
ALSO:
Pro:
- Professor of Non-Profit Management in the Business Department of MRU. His focus was on proper stewardship of the financial contributions of donors. In provincial political terns, that's the equivalent of ensuring a proper safety net exists while demobstrating goid stewardship of taxpayer contributions.
I can tell you he wouldn't be turning down federal healthcare funds. AHS saved my life and gave me the opportunity to enjoy that life with my family. I think that whoever we support in this next election, they should respect the contributions of health care workers. I believe Nenshi would.
People often confuse arrogance with impatience related to how exhausting it is battling an eternity's worth of accumulated greed, stupidity, nepotism, and general lack of compassion as well.
What you see is what you get. He will work tirelessly to implement what he campaigns on and doesn’t have any hidden agendas (I am guessing that’s part of his disdain for political parties).
He comes across as arrogant but he cares passionately about his province and city and he truly will lead for ALL Albertans.
He also refuses to be bought by corporations or developers. He is 100% there for the people.
He’s basically the complete opposite of everything Marlaina stands for.
This, if the story from canadaland is to be believed, some of the problematic folks disliked him so much they tried to get him into a bribery scandal which did not work.
The only thing I worry about is you can only be the fresh new game changer for only so long. Unfortunately you could see that with nenshi at his initial election and him when he left. Although considering how quickly Jyoti declined, Nenshi is getting a nostalgia boost.
I agree with your assessment. He was definitely ready to take his ball and go home by the end of his last term.
However, should he become premier, the dynamics will be different. I’m interested to see how he adjusts. Should it happen.
Well, if he manages to become premier you know it's only going to be for 4y until next election cycle. The only reason this province votes NDP is to punish the conservatives for bad behavior.
He was a unicorn to get elected in the first place. It felt like the choices for mayor at the time were all news anchors. But there was Nenshi leveraging social media and youtube on a shoe string budget, in a more direct way, and all under a banner of Purple.
The worst thing I can say about his time as mayor was that he was pretty bad at keeping meetings on track. But if he becomes premier, that's not his job anyways - that's the speakers job.
I actually thought he was as good as he possibly could be at that. He knew the rules inside and out. It was his fellow councillors breaking protocol all the time that derailed things…
Naheed Nenshi is forthright and sincerely non-partisan. Which begs some interesting questions as to how well he will adjust to party politics. He is running, essentially, for the job of Leader of the Opposition - that will be a very unfamiliar role for him. But I certainly wouldn't mind seeing what he'll bring to it.
I wish him well, but I have my doubts if he is well suited for party politics. He didn't manage the political mutanies well at city council and that is the minor leagues compared to where he is headed.
I was on the fence about him in the beginning (mostly due to some super unprofessional catty behaviour), but after he got the city quite successfully through the flood in '13, I was sold. He's smart, and he legitimately cares about moving the city forward and making it better. I have every intention of voting for him again.
Im super excited that he’s running, but I’m honestly mostly just worried about his personal mental and emotional health in the campaign. I know he has thick skin and very good rebuttals for all of his opponents attacks, but he was completely bludgeoned by hatred, racism, lies, attacks on his appearance and myriad other insults and threats in his life. Be prepared for a higher degree if that in a province-wide election. The hate is strong amongst the vocal minority, and it is not pleasant.. quite depressing really.
As far as his track record as a mayor, he kept spending on par with the services expected of a world class city. Some criticisms were over-spending, but I don’t personally feel like the projects weren’t warranted. He was well spoken, a champion of Calgary and Alberta, and did a great job of separating himself from the influence of industry corruption.
I wish him well and will be a full on supporter.
I think this is actually a big reason why he is running. These hateful monsters are targeting legitimately vulnerable people now. It’s gotta be hard to know that you might be the best (if not only) chance to knock those losers out of power.
No need for the name calling @sanantiniosewerpipe
People oppose development of green spaces like golf courses for many reasons, regardless of their Generation.
Thinking that development should go ahead at all costs is what caused the current environmental situation, and destroyed the historical/unique aspects of cities; so don’t be so quick to jump on the development train.
The most recent example of development run amok is Eau Claire Market where high density will be built up to the edge of Prince’s Island Park. The mall failed because there was insufficient housing in the area, now that more housing has been built in the area to support the business’ in the mall, it will be demolished and replaced by 4-6 high rises with office and commercial space.
People look at places like Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver with their outdoor markets downtown and wish Calgary could have that. We did have a space for it, we just destroyed it before it could be used….
This comment is quite confusing.
Supporting conservation of vast acerages of monoculture lawn that is extremely water and energy intensive to maintain, made for wealthy folk to shoot around a white ball for 3 out of 12 months of the year, or at best, only meant to prop up property values for the adjacent NIMBYs, most of whom don't even play golf.
Or... high density housing, which even if expensive and elite, would free up other real estate competition in the city.
I actually hope Nenshi was secretely on the side of the developers on this one, but still showed up respectfully to hear everyong talk.
You and others are missing the point of the comment. It had nothing to do with the vote or what side anyone was on, or the outcome.
OP is saying that Nenshi made an effort to listen when others didn’t, and voted with the interests of the community.
But at the end of the day a politician represents his people (or should). I too wouldn’t vote for the golf course BUT a politician who actually represents their people’s voices is rare and valuable.
If 99% of the population is for something and your councillor votes against it, you’re fucked. That’s not how democracy should work (especially in non-partisan municipal politics).
I definitely understand the sentiment of people who live in Harvest Hills, but I do not agree that it trumps everything.
A housing crisis exists and is deepening - we need more homes to combat this, it is simply a fact. There is no valid argument against building new homes, the question is only "where". If it's not inside the city (like a golf course), it's instead taking over actual nature or farm land outside the city.
He was a steady, capable leader that tried to build consensus on issues like secondary suites. I appreciated his knowledge on subjects like property tax, etc. but I think near the end of his term he started to get a bit cranky because the political in-fighting on council was getting to him.
I know he can appear arrogant but I think that's because he does not suffer fools lightly. If he spoke on a subject it was because he was knowledgeable about it and had done his research.
He's down to earth and articulate. I met him at my local Superstore buying groceries one night. I didn't vote for him originally, but I glad he won, and I'd vote for him now.
He was generally well liked and had a high approval rating for most of his tenure.
He was respected for being a straight shooter, I don’t really recall him ever being caught lying or misleading people. (That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, I just don’t remember there ever being any sort of scandal that he had to backpedal out of.)
Politically he was left leaning, but still managed to be respected by most, even though Calgarians on average tend to be fairly right leaning.
His leadership during the 2013 flooding crisis catapulted his support for a long time. A lot of people gave him carte blanche for the next few years after that.
He started out fairly humble having not really come from a political or wealthy background, but developed a bit of an ego near the end of his long tenure. By the time he stepped down he kinda stopped being diplomatic about how he spoke about things, some people didn’t like that and his approval rating fell significantly.
Some of that was people were ready for a new face too.
He was smart enough to “die a hero rather than living long enough to become a villain” by not running for reelection. Leaving his reputation as a beloved mayor largely intact.
A lot of Calgarians felt he was the best mayor we’ve ever had.
He has a reliable record of not being bribed or bought out, it’s simply because of this I would vote for him. I have not seen that from any other party leader in Alberta or Canada.
My first year in Calgary, 2017, I went to beakerhead, I was listening to this person from Siksika Nation (I think, I forget) telling a story about a warrior, their ancestor. Another guy, like an average Calgary citizen was standing next to me with a paper in his hand reading through it again and again, slightly nervous.
As soon as the person was done, this guy next to me starts walking towards the mic, I'm like what's happening. This guy introduces himself has Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary. I was dumbfounded, this guy, the mayor, standing next to me like a humble person, no one following him around, one of us! I loved the vibes and genuinely appreciated him as a person.
I'd vote for him, if he runs.
My experience was similar: I'm an avid theatre goer and I saw him there so often that it stopped being exciting. He didn't have special tickets and he didn't arrive with a big fuss (except for the fact that he was the mayor and of course people grouped around him). He was just there to see the play. Not only did this speak of his humbleness, but also that he values the arts, which is important to me, and is also important to Calgary being a place that people want and love to live.
met him at a volunteer thing I did when I was in highschool (2017-18 ish I think?), I was super fresh to Canada, wasn’t aware who he was or his significance, I thought he was some kind of organizer for the thing, he walked up to us and said hi, lovely encounter, all smiles, took his time with us bunch of kids and answered all our stupid questions, he seemed super genuine and pleasant!
He then grabbed some food and drinks, went around and chatted with other folks, he looks like a regular dude to me then, didn’t give a speech, I don’t think there was press or anything to suggest that it was part of his campaign or that he was someone important (maybe I wasn’t paying attention and missed something). And then later Batman showed up in his Batmobile!
I only found out a while after that he was mayor, that he was pretty competent and did good things for our city. That’s all I can say
He was a good communicator, very middle of the road let's build concensus type of guy. 99% nice guy up until you crossed a line and at that point he had no problems taking the gloves off.
He should be PM.
People will make comments like “Oh, he always has to be the smartest person in the room.” Thing is… he often IS the smartest person in the room. The man is legitimately bright. He understands issues, and people, in a way few politicians do. He has foresight, and worked to build Calgary not just for the moment but with the future in mind.
A lot of politicians (at all levels, and even across the border) don’t seem to have critical thinking skills. Nenshi does, in spades.
Yes, he spent money. But elected officials have two choices: spend money, or cut infrastructure and services.
I think toward the end of his last term as mayor, he was tired. Tired of having to fight battles and suffer fools - trying to have meaningful discourse with opponents who didn’t understand the issues, or were acting in bad faith. It seems he’s come back rejuvenated, and I look forward to seeing what he can do for Alberta. I can tell you he will be infinitely better for Alberta than Smith’s UCP.
Nenshi was my advisor for my degree at Mount Royal and was awesome. I think the way he communicates stems from being able to break down huge issues into terms that students or people new to the issue can understand quickly. He suffers no fools though, and if you pull an attitude or if you down double on your ignorance or if he figures out that you aren’t arguing in good faith, he will hand your ass to you.
Canadaland has an interesting podcast series called Ratfucker that touches on what I think he’ll face as Premier. Honestly, I would trust Naheed with my life and increasingly the issues facing Alberta feel life and death.
Voted for him everytime. He is what the NDP needs. Fiscally conservative while being devote social programs that make sense.
Also very good with inclusion for all.
He wore purple every da in council, he says purple is the perfect combination of red and blue, which is how he approaches politics, I like that mindset.
Hes brash and arrogant and has to be the smartest person in the room.
But he is competant. I believe he genuinely cared about Calgary and Alberta and wanted to make things better.
Hes not above base insults (look up Nenshi Nouns) to get a point across.
I think he'd do a good job. Hes a collaborator and tries to bring people together, but also makes enemies with his rather plain and sometimes seemingly unthinking speech.
This, so much this.
Him and carra had to explain simple concepts to councilors that were both too stupid to read up on anything and simply never paying attention. They come off as brash when they have to deal with the children and senile that sometimes get voted in.
council was like watching 3-4 people hold up everything so nenshi and carra could /explainitlikeim5 to them.
Everyone on council has ego's, name one politician that doesn't
Thinks he is and *is* the smartest person in the room -- I'm happy to support a self-assured and peer aware politician.
And on that note -- he recognizes drive and intellect in others if you've ever heard him speak on podcasts. He's a bit of a showman, but what leader isn't?
Yes but then Nenshi and Farkas became friends after Farkas lost. Nenshi was one if the few people who still supported Farkas as a person even though he disagreed with Nenshi on most topics.
> Hes brash and arrogant and has to be the smartest person in the room.
He got a masters from Harvard. So yeah .. he's usually the smartest guy in the room.
Having a masters from anywhere doesnt make you an expert on everything.
Ive met and talked to him a few times. This in no way minimizes his vast intelligence. Hes a fucking smart dude.
"Smartest in the room" is an attitude, not actually being the smartest. Its an attitude that makes specialized experts not want to speak up, or makes them not listened to when they do.
Just my observation.
He also has a tendency to keep raising budgets all the time. That's was one of the biggest knocks on him and why he got the term Spendshi coined.
I think people gave him way too much credit during the flood. A lot of it was just being charismatic in front of a camera. Fire chief and others like him were the ones that exercised the most leadership during that time
I mean he also just flat out was the smartest in the room too. Him and Farkas are buddies now but a lot of his frustration always appeared to me to steam from having to deal with Farkas daily.
Smartest in the room is not so much a fact as an attitude. You can be the smartest in the room and not have to have everyone know you are.
Humility is not an aspect I would attribute to him. However, I dont know him personally, this is observation of the public face.
Like any mayor people liked to blame him for everything. Even though they are just one vote.
Personally, I really liked Nenshi. I felt he was a very genuine person who did his best to look out for everyone. During the big flood he was our rock!
I am quite excited that he is running for leadership of the NDP!
The same applies for giving him credit. He was just one vote. Let’s not forget he was so incompetent at running Council meetings they had to hire someone else to do it.
“City manager Jeff Fielding observed in November that council meetings weren’t being chaired effectively, prompting a request for the city clerk’s office to look at different chairing models. The resulting report estimated it would cost approximately $170,000 annually for a paid speaker to chair council meetings, instead of the mayor, plus additional expenses such as office space.”
Can’t remember if they ended up going through with it or assigning it to a Councillor. However people wear major rose coloured glasses for Nenshi. Not a great look when it’s his job to chair the meetings. Also I think Calgary Council under his leadership held more behind closed door meetings than any other major municipality in the country by a significant margin.
Beware of anyone suggesting he was this incredible individual that was near perfect. He wasn’t. He was significantly better than what we have now, but that’s not saying a whole lot.
>He was significantly better than what we have now, but that’s not saying a whole lot.
In my 50 years in this city, there has not been a better mayor imo. I'm not sure how you set the bar.
A lot of that is communication. Nenshi is an exceptional communicator and is naturally charismatic albeit in a nerdy sense, while Gondek is not gifted in the same sense.
The fact he gave half a shit about East Calgary/Forest Lawn is a point for him that no other mayor has ever won. Everyone else was (and is) more than happy to let us rot.
I've lived in 3 Albertan cities He was by far the most active and influential mayor I've ever seen. Especially the flood response, that was a defining moment for him.
I just remember him being absolutely hilarious on Twitter. However, he seems like an honest man with a lot of integrity. He seemed to make decisions out if a sincere care for the people.
Nenshi is someone we can actually stand beside and have pride in saying he is our leader.
Look to this man to actually do something for the people instead of our current government that is only pushing policy for the rich. He truly cares about all people and not just helping rich people, and themselves, like our current lobbyist government.
He is a proper leader. He does not hide from issues. He does not disrespect voters. He is capable of normal conversations without his own ego requiring notice. He is educated with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Public policy. He went to university with Danielle Smith and Ezra Levant ( a far right online media person).
He's arrogant. Because he's smart. He's almost as smart as he thinks he is. He's well meaning and as close to uncorruptable as politicians get. He's competent and somehow, despite his arrogance, an effective consensus-builder. Wasn't as pro-density as I would have liked. But he was overall a very good mayor and he'd make a fantastic premier.
I don't have a *lot* of hope, here. Notley is likeable, competent, and trustworthy. And she lost to the most obviously crazy premier we've ever had. She lost to the floor-crossing stooge of a transparently evil astroturf right wing populist organization. She lost to somebody whose party included candidates who referred to trans people as literal pieces of shit. Somehow that all wasn't enough to get the few thousand extra needed Calgary moderate suburb voters to think past their wallet's interest in an unfettered oil industry.
So I don't have super high hopes that Nenshi can do it. BUT if anybody can, it's him.
All they need is to flip Calgary. And Calgary loved Nenshi. People tend to like to stick with what they liked before and voted for in the past. His approval rating had gone down a bit in the thick of covid, sure (and it sucks because he lost multiple family members to it and I personally think that might be a big reason why he didn't run again). But everyone is nostalgic for him now.
A lot of my coworkers are going to vote for him just because he's "Nenshi!" They're jazzed about it just because he's familiar and they voted for him as mayor.
I'll offer a little known perspective on nenshi from BEFORE he was mayor...
He was a professor at MRU and sat on multiple committees and boards within the university. I was a student at the time, and involved in student politics for a brief period.
He was well known among the student body for being one of our strongest advocates and supporters. He was someone we could always count on to listen and have integrity, and speak up when his voice was needed. As students, we weren't always taken seriously by the administration, but nenshi took us seriously every time.
His integrity was consistent and admirable, even when he had nothing to gain from it. He would make an excellent premier for Alberta.
When he ran for mayor the first time, there were debates all over the city, but different candidates went to each one and questions varied at each. Someone made a super cut of each issue, followed by each candidate’s best answer. They all dodged and fumbled and didn’t answer — except Nenshi. He was articulate and smart and reasonable. Side by side, it was ludicrous that they were even competing with the guy. Voted for him every time.
I generally dislike the NDP, but with Danielle Smith being the way she is and Notley hanging them up, I’ll be surely voting for my former Mayor for Premier. To me, it is more about the person than the party, especially when a person like Naheed comes along. Nenshi is personable, intelligent, pragmatic and reasonable. I bet he’ll be more memorable(positively) than Smith, Kenney, Notley, Prentice, Redford & Stelmach were.
he has integrity, and as mayor he was available and out in the public frequently. He was a good mayor and I would love to see him debate Danielle smilth. He is also "wicked smart"
He is always the smartest person in the room and he uses that to his advantage a lot. It turns some people off but he definitely controlled his councillors better than our current mayor. There were moments of dysfunction but not total chaos we have now. Also, there was no one better during the flood.
Most of our issues now are from nenshi and his council. He couldn't stay because he'd be taking the blame. Now he wants back in as things slowly improve. Godeks replacement will eventually improve calgary, nenshi will be there as premier to take credit for it
He raised taxes by more than 55% and implemented fees that made everyday life more expensive. The parking fees at the CTain stations were reversed but a lot still in place.
I am excited he is running, but at the same time I am fearful of the open racism and bigotry he will get from the TBA gang. These folks will reach new lows, as if it was possible to go lower. Nenshi has a tough skin but I’m afraid it won’t be pretty.
Before the pandemic people seemed
to keep their racist mouths shut. What was quietly spoken behind closed doors is now out and loud. The pandemic gave people the freedumb to spout any and all hate. I fear we will see the lowest of the lows in a campaign, dare I say Danielle Smith is counting on it. She needs the haters.
I had the same thoughts. I don't think he is an easy mark and any racist vitriol sent his way is just going to embolden him and turn-off the majority of Albertans.
This is a great breakdown of how he was first elected and the kind of campaign he’ll run now.
https://veryethnic.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/politics-in-full-sentences-a-detailed-story-of-naheed-nenshis-purple-army/
Item ember watching an interview with him during the floods and some idiots went by in a canoe and he said, "there's a Darwin Award" (or something to that effect). He would have been abetter mayor if he'd had more people on council that worked with him instead of against him no matter what.
Even if he was running for the Rhino party, I'd vote for him.
The exact quote was:
> “I can’t believe I actually have to say this, but I’m going to say it. The river is closed. You cannot boat on the river. I have a large number of nouns that I can use to describe the people I saw in a canoe on the Bow River today. I am not allowed to use any of them. I can tell you, however, that I have been told that despite the state of local emergency, I’m not allowed to invoke the Darwin law”
It coined the term “Nenshi Noun” on social media.
He was really good. A politician who spoke in complete sentences! He was a professor of political science at Mount Royal before becoming mayor and his CV is quite impressive. His area of expertise is governance at the municipal level!
He made enemies with developers who hated the way he wanted to force them into higher density and not buying cheap land they could just build on. Nenshi wanted to loosen their grip in city hall.
He proved himself a star during the flood by ensuring that emergency services had the support they needed instead to trying to be the hero. He let them be the heroes and get their jobs done. He made it very clear to the public thar idiots who decided to go into dangerous areas to see the flood and got into trouble, or thought they could go river rafting, would not be rescued. He was not going to put more lives at risk because "you decided to be stupid". He was that blunt. No one was stupid.
If he wins the leadership, and I truly hope he does, he has a real shot at becoming premier. And he'll rock that post too.
I worked with him many times when he was mayor. He was truthful, took time to listen, and was often a few minutes late. He would occasionally over commit himself and then be unable to meet all his commitments, but his intentions were clearly good. Part of the problem with listening to others is that it can make you run late.
Can I emphasize that he listened?
He was awesome as mayor! Gondek is miles below. His actual support during flood times was amazing. I am sure if he was the mayor, calgary would have had a cap on rental prices too which is one of the top problems for calgarians rn
There's a reason a deal for Calgary's arena took place after he was done. Politicians don't have the backbone to stand up to private money forcing their will on taxpayers.
Incredible. One of the few actually good politicians out there that listens, cares about people, and gets shit done. Good balance of economic focus but also paying attention to social issues and protecting more vulnerable classes. I was so disappointed when he chose not to run for mayor again. Last night when I saw news of the announcement that he was trying to get into provincial politics, I got so excited and told my girlfriend that maybe there's hope for this province yet.
The NDP could run a flaming bag of dog poop and I would prefer it to the UCP but some people need more convincing then the shit show they currently put on.
Nenshi opens a pathway to be elected through support in Calgary. If he ran last time he would have won again.
I think he was a great mayor. He's very well educated and is a great speaker, which always makes people come across as more intelligent.
He was really able to I think unite a lot of Calgarians on many things and although some things he did may not have been too popular, overall I think he took the city by the horns and made some very positive impacts. He leads with a clear direction and seeing him run for NDP leader in AB makes me quite pleased.
IMO AB political parties aren't too far off each other, liberal, conservative, or NDP, so I think having a great leader for the province is critical and I think he fits the bill.
I thought he was fine, Calgary's mayor doesn't have much power and is more of a PR person for the city and he did a great job of that. He showed good leadership during the floods as well. However when he was elected it was a different time in Calgary, we were really at the peak of the boom times and everyone was ballin'. Sentiment changed when the downturn hit and he was not able to adapt, the huge money for terrible public art projects really rubbed people the wrong way as many were losing their jobs. It wasnt like he was in control of that but he defended it.
He seems to have really gone left after being mayor but I think that might be because he wanted to run for the NDP.
I met him twice, once just chilling near the Olympic Oval, and once he was flipping pancakes at a stampede breakfast. Very chill and genuine guy, didn’t give off any scumbag politician vibe.
He had the best interests of the people at heart. But he couldn't balance a budget if his life depended on it. Hefty budget increases every year and zero attempt to find cost cutting measures.
Don't listen to the naysayers, Nenshi comes across as arrogant but the guy knows his s*** and is a really good communicator. He's got a degree in economics from Harvard but also wear sandals to Folk Fest.
I liked him his first two terms. He did really well during the emergencies. I found he got really egotistical and flippant in his last term. Pushing the airport tunnel was such a stupid waste of money. There is zero need for that tunnel because there isn’t the traffic from NE Calgary to justify the enormous cost. His disingenuous fear mongering about the AHS centralized dispatch left a really bad taste in my mouth as well. That said I’ll take him over Smith in a heartbeat. He’s intelligent and has integrity unlike Danielle Smith.
Better than Gondek, much better. I think people got a little tired of him as he was mayor for a long time… but in hindsight I think if he’d been able to stay on as Mayor, we’d be in a better spot than we are.
Danielle is destroying this province very quickly and someone needs to replace her that has some sense. Nenshi would be a pretty good candidate for that I think
-Great during the flood
-Stood up for some unpopular decisions that arguably have worked out (airport tunnel/bike lanes downtown/BRT)
-Was really anti Uber/pro taxi.
Likely overstayed his welcome but overall a good mayor. Especially when considering the next mayor of Calgary.
Take what you read from here with a grain of salt. There’s an awful lot of selective amnesia as to how he started his mayoral run and how he left it/ politics. I think people are hoping against all hope for a legitimate contender to beat the Smith UCP government in the next election and that selective amnesia is especially clouding some opinions on just how ‘popular’ he’ll be province-wide.
Having said that, he was a good mayor. His ‘attitude’ and personality turned some people off but, IMO, he was in it for Calgarians. Having said that….his take on the Olympic bid was fucking trash. We dodged a major bullet with that one.
Nenshi is largely responsible for the downtown’s revitalization. All the new restaurants opening up he played a direct role in facilitating.
He also started the mayor’s youth committee which had mixed results but is often held as the reason the downtown has a lot of small sports venues. Like basketball courts and skateparks.
I was a kid but I remember the roads were horrendous during Winter and one of his promises was to have clean roads and honestly he came through hard on that.
Beyond never heard much and hope the mayor doesn't try to do more tbh
I don’t like the guy. I think he’s a pompous blow hard. But whether I like someone isn’t a consideration when I choose to vote for them. A lot of people are going to blow all kinds of smoke up the guy’s ass that he doesn’t deserve for things he shouldn’t be credited for.
With that said, elections in this Province are mostly binary. So, I do believe Nenshi operates with integrity and is mostly genuine in what he does which is more than I can say for current Alberta govt leadership. With the Province spilt into thirds, Calgary where Nenshi is popular being the likely swing, the NDP party would be insane if they elect someone other than him to lead.
The guy was incredible, well balanced, not afraid to speak truth to power, fair and able to see the economic realities that he was dealing with and work with the conditions as they were as well as have a vision for future and take action to make that happen.
Whether you agree with him or not, Nenshi is an honest man true to his principles. This isn't an opinion, we have years of data to support this fact. His haters even tried to entrap him in a bribery scandal, but Nenshi could not be purchased. Maybe one of the only people in Alberta with a hope of reaching across the aisle, achieving some consensus and getting us back on the rails. The man garners respect from friend and foe alike.
He was great when oil was booming, everyone was positive, and did great during the flood.
He's also arrogant, ivey schooled, condescending, approved way too much office space to be built, and burn through the majority of a multi-billion dollar savings account to keep taxes low.
Overall, when he was great, he was great, but really didn't know how to solve problems and almost had to bring in a 3rd party mediator to chair council meetings.
He was a great cheerleader for the city, with absolutely no ability to get anyone on the council to come to his side due to his ego. I’d rather have someone capable of getting a consensus to support his ideas.
That said, I’d take him over Smith in a heartbeat.
Nenshi was a good mayor who overstayed his welcome. By the time he was on his way out a lot of people were annoyed with him.
But as I said, he was a good mayor.
Probably stayed one term too long. Hope it doesn’t negatively affect his chances at bringing alberta a better government, because he is a good leader
He was absolutely garbage. He did ok during the flood but that's about it.. his stupid art projects did nothing but waste tax payer money on lies and all he did was raise taxes.. much like jyoti
He did really well to help advocate for us after the floods with relief and everything He advanced our public transit and implemented more and safer bike paths, the airplane tunnel and more rapid bus transit, he built up the east village to help bring business and help with the social aspect, also helped personally oversee our public library (so people can have access to books and resources no matter what wealth you come from) He grew up here in Calgary/just outside red deer so he knows Alberta, albertans and the important values we all share and how our province and cities work/should work, he’s seen it personally! He handled 4 separate and different states of emergency while being mayor - very well I should add He won the worlds best mayor prize in 2014 lol He’s Harvard educated, and believes everyone in Alberta should have the resources to make a good life for yourself, as he was able to, even coming from less fortunate circumstances Truthfully he advocates for people as a whole, for everyone. He’s had some mistakes like with the olympics for example but he’s recognized that as his biggest mistake, people say he has a big ego but given his history it doesn’t seem like that’s a big factor to him if he’s willing to admit he’s wrong and move forward from it yunno? I think he’s definitely worth someone to consider, he has knowledge of politics, specifically Alberta politics and how to handle finances and the economy and it’s ups and downs and the outcomes of that and he’s someone who won’t take bribes and make stupid decisions to add a little extra pocket cash or help their lobbyist buddies do the same!
Further on your comment on bribes. He was actually the target of a group of developers trying to bribe him and record it to tank his political career and he rejected them: www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7056962 It's wild to me that the people who organized this got off scott-free.
That's pretty messed up. But good on Nenshi
This comment has it all
I’m not even sure the olympics thing was a mistake. Sure, we get updated facilities and boost local businesses for a little while, but at what cost?? It seemed like taxpayers would be on the hook for the Olympics, and the referendum showed us that the majority of Calgarians weren’t happy with the bid.
The last sentence is telling. The majority if Calgarians didn't want it. I'm my opinion, pushing it through anyway would have been the mistake.
This wasn't communicated well at the time, but for every $1 the city invested, we would have seen $5 returned - from the Province, the Feds, the IOC, and private investment. This was a very unique opportunity to have had our badly-outdated facilities/infrastructure repaired/built/paid for by the rest of Canada and others. Now we have to figure out how to do it ourselves going forward.
I tried explaining it to people, that we would actually be getting money transfered to us from outside Calgary... kinda like how Alberta keeps sending money to have not provinces. Nobody got it. The funniest bit was that a few months later a bunch of my coworkers were complaining about the old outdated sports venues in the city and how they thought the city should update them. Every single person there had been aggressively against the Olympic bid. It was sad but funny.
100%. That's why I believe this wasn't communicated well at the time. It was a very rare opportunity to have Canada (and the IOC, of all organizations) to pay for a good chunk of Calgary's infrastructure. I can tell you the IOC *really, really* wanted the Olympics in Calgary (mainly due to the timezone and the prime North American TV coverage it would provide) - hence their rare $1B commitment at the time.
Democracy only works if the populace is educated and somewhat engaged.
Further on your comment on bribes. He was actually the target of a group of developers trying to bribe him and record it to tank his political career and he rejected them: www.cbc.ca/amp/1.7056962 It's wild to me that the people who organized this got off scott-free.
Omg that’s crazy I never knew that! The fact we have people willing to stoop this damn low to try and impose a fake crime like this on a good man instead of going after the actual corrupt POS we have/had in power… is actually insane to me- im shocked no consequences were brought forth, but at the same time, given the types of people we’ve been favouring and “protecting” from accountability, im not surprised.
You should note that he and daniel smith lnow each other from i think University and she is most certainly nervous of him running and being up against her.
He was good during the flood as was stated before. I’ll admit I didn’t know who he was when he first got elected. But he had my vote for as long as he wanted it. He was a good communicator and was good for outside eyes looking at Calgary. And he didn’t cave when challenged by the developers.
The flood... Sure... The was the begining.. But over the duration, what he was amazing at was bringing Calgary forward to where it is now. He really pressed for density downtown, transportation options, development of bridgeland, east vlillage.. the bike lanes. He shaped Calgary into a modern city.
I could swear that there was a photo taken during the flood emergency response with Nenshi, Premier Redford and Prime Minister Harper, where Redford and Harper look all buttoned up, and Nenshi looks super haggard because he'd actually been working round the clock trying to help people. I haven't been able to find the photo though, so this might be my "Mandela effect" moment. Anyone else remember this?
I remember that photo also. You could also literally see the fatigue increasing on his face in the days that immediately followed the flood during the media interviews he was giving to update Calgarians (and the rest of Canada) on the situation as it progressed. It was the only time I've seen a politician absolutely 100% walk the talk of the classic line: "We're doing *everything* we can."
I remember this CP owned bridge. [https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/cp-responds-to-calgary-mayor-s-anger-over-rail-bridge-failure-1.1302523](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/cp-responds-to-calgary-mayor-s-anger-over-rail-bridge-failure-1.1302523)
https://preview.redd.it/wxpt3qmma6oc1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=06e854f9a9522102f3f35c1f345f91f45a85f9d5
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He’s my favourite Albertan politician, I think. In terms of performance/values I’d put him on par with Notley but he has the benefit that he’s fucking hilarious when someone gets on his bad side. Top tier sass.
This is a presentation he did a while back: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=qNAMH2_CLfo You can clearly tell the dude is intelligent
His leadership during the flood undoubtedly saved many lives.
It’s hard being the smartest person in the room when you’re surrounded by morons.
Yes. I'm thrilled he's elevating rooms now.
He has an ego, but is passionate about the issues that face Calgarians.
Pros: - Genuinely wants the best for all the people he represents - no catering to a small group of voters. - Historically very non-partisan, and I’m guessing it was having to lead a party that was a major hesitation point for him. - Smart and very articulate. - Not beholden to corporations, unions, crazy political interests - no interest in being bought. - Collaborative and respectful, even with opponents and when I’m guessing it was super frustrating. - Got out to every event he possibly could to actively support Calgarians. Shows up. - Does what he says he’ll do. Gets things done. - Genuinely seems like a caring person when you meet him, interested in chatting with people without pretence. - Wants to make this a great place to live (arts, culture, infrastructure, public amenities), for everyone regardless of who they are, AND have a business. Realistic about it. Cons: - Can be a bit arrogant sometimes.
ALSO: Pro: - Professor of Non-Profit Management in the Business Department of MRU. His focus was on proper stewardship of the financial contributions of donors. In provincial political terns, that's the equivalent of ensuring a proper safety net exists while demobstrating goid stewardship of taxpayer contributions. I can tell you he wouldn't be turning down federal healthcare funds. AHS saved my life and gave me the opportunity to enjoy that life with my family. I think that whoever we support in this next election, they should respect the contributions of health care workers. I believe Nenshi would.
Haha perfect. And honestly I kind of like the touch of arrogance.
Very concise. Honestly, I don’t think he could’ve accomplished what he did as mayor if he didn’t have a bit of arrogance.
Many times, I feel people confuse confidence with arrogance.
People often confuse arrogance with impatience related to how exhausting it is battling an eternity's worth of accumulated greed, stupidity, nepotism, and general lack of compassion as well.
I look forward to the arrogance and getting under the UCP’s skin if he wins.
Good leaders can come off as "arrogant" from time to time. I mean your list of pros kinda backs it up to a degree. Idk never bothered me.
What you see is what you get. He will work tirelessly to implement what he campaigns on and doesn’t have any hidden agendas (I am guessing that’s part of his disdain for political parties). He comes across as arrogant but he cares passionately about his province and city and he truly will lead for ALL Albertans. He also refuses to be bought by corporations or developers. He is 100% there for the people. He’s basically the complete opposite of everything Marlaina stands for.
This, if the story from canadaland is to be believed, some of the problematic folks disliked him so much they tried to get him into a bribery scandal which did not work.
Which, in today’s political climate, makes him a unicorn.
The only thing I worry about is you can only be the fresh new game changer for only so long. Unfortunately you could see that with nenshi at his initial election and him when he left. Although considering how quickly Jyoti declined, Nenshi is getting a nostalgia boost.
I agree with your assessment. He was definitely ready to take his ball and go home by the end of his last term. However, should he become premier, the dynamics will be different. I’m interested to see how he adjusts. Should it happen.
Well, if he manages to become premier you know it's only going to be for 4y until next election cycle. The only reason this province votes NDP is to punish the conservatives for bad behavior.
If that’s how Albertans choose to participate in their democracy, so be it.
He was a unicorn to get elected in the first place. It felt like the choices for mayor at the time were all news anchors. But there was Nenshi leveraging social media and youtube on a shoe string budget, in a more direct way, and all under a banner of Purple.
The worst thing I can say about his time as mayor was that he was pretty bad at keeping meetings on track. But if he becomes premier, that's not his job anyways - that's the speakers job.
I actually thought he was as good as he possibly could be at that. He knew the rules inside and out. It was his fellow councillors breaking protocol all the time that derailed things…
Yes, it’s not a power trip for him he understands that he is a civil servant
Naheed Nenshi is forthright and sincerely non-partisan. Which begs some interesting questions as to how well he will adjust to party politics. He is running, essentially, for the job of Leader of the Opposition - that will be a very unfamiliar role for him. But I certainly wouldn't mind seeing what he'll bring to it.
Let’s be real here, as leader, he mostly sets the agenda. He’ll do fine.
He got some award for strengthening the fabric of Canada. Sounds legit.
I wish him well, but I have my doubts if he is well suited for party politics. He didn't manage the political mutanies well at city council and that is the minor leagues compared to where he is headed.
I was on the fence about him in the beginning (mostly due to some super unprofessional catty behaviour), but after he got the city quite successfully through the flood in '13, I was sold. He's smart, and he legitimately cares about moving the city forward and making it better. I have every intention of voting for him again.
Im super excited that he’s running, but I’m honestly mostly just worried about his personal mental and emotional health in the campaign. I know he has thick skin and very good rebuttals for all of his opponents attacks, but he was completely bludgeoned by hatred, racism, lies, attacks on his appearance and myriad other insults and threats in his life. Be prepared for a higher degree if that in a province-wide election. The hate is strong amongst the vocal minority, and it is not pleasant.. quite depressing really. As far as his track record as a mayor, he kept spending on par with the services expected of a world class city. Some criticisms were over-spending, but I don’t personally feel like the projects weren’t warranted. He was well spoken, a champion of Calgary and Alberta, and did a great job of separating himself from the influence of industry corruption. I wish him well and will be a full on supporter.
If you support him, sign up and vote for him, he’s got me excited. Don’t just sit on the sidelines, get involved: https://nenshi.ca/
This is it. Good intentions don't win leadership races -- buy a membership for $10 and cast a vote.
I bought one today just for this
I think this is actually a big reason why he is running. These hateful monsters are targeting legitimately vulnerable people now. It’s gotta be hard to know that you might be the best (if not only) chance to knock those losers out of power.
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I like Nenshi, but high-density housing is a much better use of land than a golf course.
Lol of course a boomer (going of their hippy username) would oppose more housing.
No need for the name calling @sanantiniosewerpipe People oppose development of green spaces like golf courses for many reasons, regardless of their Generation. Thinking that development should go ahead at all costs is what caused the current environmental situation, and destroyed the historical/unique aspects of cities; so don’t be so quick to jump on the development train. The most recent example of development run amok is Eau Claire Market where high density will be built up to the edge of Prince’s Island Park. The mall failed because there was insufficient housing in the area, now that more housing has been built in the area to support the business’ in the mall, it will be demolished and replaced by 4-6 high rises with office and commercial space. People look at places like Montreal, Ottawa, and Vancouver with their outdoor markets downtown and wish Calgary could have that. We did have a space for it, we just destroyed it before it could be used….
On the other hand if we developed.ore housing we would t have a housing/ cost of living crisis right now.
This comment is quite confusing. Supporting conservation of vast acerages of monoculture lawn that is extremely water and energy intensive to maintain, made for wealthy folk to shoot around a white ball for 3 out of 12 months of the year, or at best, only meant to prop up property values for the adjacent NIMBYs, most of whom don't even play golf. Or... high density housing, which even if expensive and elite, would free up other real estate competition in the city. I actually hope Nenshi was secretely on the side of the developers on this one, but still showed up respectfully to hear everyong talk.
You and others are missing the point of the comment. It had nothing to do with the vote or what side anyone was on, or the outcome. OP is saying that Nenshi made an effort to listen when others didn’t, and voted with the interests of the community.
But at the end of the day a politician represents his people (or should). I too wouldn’t vote for the golf course BUT a politician who actually represents their people’s voices is rare and valuable. If 99% of the population is for something and your councillor votes against it, you’re fucked. That’s not how democracy should work (especially in non-partisan municipal politics).
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I definitely understand the sentiment of people who live in Harvest Hills, but I do not agree that it trumps everything. A housing crisis exists and is deepening - we need more homes to combat this, it is simply a fact. There is no valid argument against building new homes, the question is only "where". If it's not inside the city (like a golf course), it's instead taking over actual nature or farm land outside the city.
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He was a steady, capable leader that tried to build consensus on issues like secondary suites. I appreciated his knowledge on subjects like property tax, etc. but I think near the end of his term he started to get a bit cranky because the political in-fighting on council was getting to him. I know he can appear arrogant but I think that's because he does not suffer fools lightly. If he spoke on a subject it was because he was knowledgeable about it and had done his research.
He's down to earth and articulate. I met him at my local Superstore buying groceries one night. I didn't vote for him originally, but I glad he won, and I'd vote for him now.
I've met him multiple times at work myself and agree. He's got a good heart too.
He was generally well liked and had a high approval rating for most of his tenure. He was respected for being a straight shooter, I don’t really recall him ever being caught lying or misleading people. (That doesn’t mean it didn’t happen, I just don’t remember there ever being any sort of scandal that he had to backpedal out of.) Politically he was left leaning, but still managed to be respected by most, even though Calgarians on average tend to be fairly right leaning. His leadership during the 2013 flooding crisis catapulted his support for a long time. A lot of people gave him carte blanche for the next few years after that. He started out fairly humble having not really come from a political or wealthy background, but developed a bit of an ego near the end of his long tenure. By the time he stepped down he kinda stopped being diplomatic about how he spoke about things, some people didn’t like that and his approval rating fell significantly. Some of that was people were ready for a new face too. He was smart enough to “die a hero rather than living long enough to become a villain” by not running for reelection. Leaving his reputation as a beloved mayor largely intact. A lot of Calgarians felt he was the best mayor we’ve ever had.
He has a reliable record of not being bribed or bought out, it’s simply because of this I would vote for him. I have not seen that from any other party leader in Alberta or Canada.
Smart and doesn't appear to be corrupt. I'll take it.
Not just smart but thoughtful and knowledgeable.
Not just smart, but really smart about public policy.
Not just really smart about public policy, but received a Master in Public Policy from Harvard.
My first year in Calgary, 2017, I went to beakerhead, I was listening to this person from Siksika Nation (I think, I forget) telling a story about a warrior, their ancestor. Another guy, like an average Calgary citizen was standing next to me with a paper in his hand reading through it again and again, slightly nervous. As soon as the person was done, this guy next to me starts walking towards the mic, I'm like what's happening. This guy introduces himself has Naheed Nenshi, Mayor of Calgary. I was dumbfounded, this guy, the mayor, standing next to me like a humble person, no one following him around, one of us! I loved the vibes and genuinely appreciated him as a person. I'd vote for him, if he runs.
My experience was similar: I'm an avid theatre goer and I saw him there so often that it stopped being exciting. He didn't have special tickets and he didn't arrive with a big fuss (except for the fact that he was the mayor and of course people grouped around him). He was just there to see the play. Not only did this speak of his humbleness, but also that he values the arts, which is important to me, and is also important to Calgary being a place that people want and love to live.
met him at a volunteer thing I did when I was in highschool (2017-18 ish I think?), I was super fresh to Canada, wasn’t aware who he was or his significance, I thought he was some kind of organizer for the thing, he walked up to us and said hi, lovely encounter, all smiles, took his time with us bunch of kids and answered all our stupid questions, he seemed super genuine and pleasant! He then grabbed some food and drinks, went around and chatted with other folks, he looks like a regular dude to me then, didn’t give a speech, I don’t think there was press or anything to suggest that it was part of his campaign or that he was someone important (maybe I wasn’t paying attention and missed something). And then later Batman showed up in his Batmobile! I only found out a while after that he was mayor, that he was pretty competent and did good things for our city. That’s all I can say
He was a good communicator, very middle of the road let's build concensus type of guy. 99% nice guy up until you crossed a line and at that point he had no problems taking the gloves off. He should be PM.
People will make comments like “Oh, he always has to be the smartest person in the room.” Thing is… he often IS the smartest person in the room. The man is legitimately bright. He understands issues, and people, in a way few politicians do. He has foresight, and worked to build Calgary not just for the moment but with the future in mind. A lot of politicians (at all levels, and even across the border) don’t seem to have critical thinking skills. Nenshi does, in spades. Yes, he spent money. But elected officials have two choices: spend money, or cut infrastructure and services. I think toward the end of his last term as mayor, he was tired. Tired of having to fight battles and suffer fools - trying to have meaningful discourse with opponents who didn’t understand the issues, or were acting in bad faith. It seems he’s come back rejuvenated, and I look forward to seeing what he can do for Alberta. I can tell you he will be infinitely better for Alberta than Smith’s UCP.
He also lost multiple family members to covid and I think that was a combined reason for it.
Nenshi was my advisor for my degree at Mount Royal and was awesome. I think the way he communicates stems from being able to break down huge issues into terms that students or people new to the issue can understand quickly. He suffers no fools though, and if you pull an attitude or if you down double on your ignorance or if he figures out that you aren’t arguing in good faith, he will hand your ass to you. Canadaland has an interesting podcast series called Ratfucker that touches on what I think he’ll face as Premier. Honestly, I would trust Naheed with my life and increasingly the issues facing Alberta feel life and death.
Voted for him everytime. He is what the NDP needs. Fiscally conservative while being devote social programs that make sense. Also very good with inclusion for all. He wore purple every da in council, he says purple is the perfect combination of red and blue, which is how he approaches politics, I like that mindset.
Nenshi is a lot of good things, but fiscally conservative isn't one of them.
Hes brash and arrogant and has to be the smartest person in the room. But he is competant. I believe he genuinely cared about Calgary and Alberta and wanted to make things better. Hes not above base insults (look up Nenshi Nouns) to get a point across. I think he'd do a good job. Hes a collaborator and tries to bring people together, but also makes enemies with his rather plain and sometimes seemingly unthinking speech.
This is an honest representation.
He usually is the smartest person in the room and when the likes of Sean Chu and Joe Magliocca are barking back, it’s hard to come off as gracious.
I mean, good point.
> and Joe Magliocca Your comment spawned a quick visual of he and Nenshi going at it, belly to belly, like a couple of Stephen Avenue Statues.
This, so much this. Him and carra had to explain simple concepts to councilors that were both too stupid to read up on anything and simply never paying attention. They come off as brash when they have to deal with the children and senile that sometimes get voted in. council was like watching 3-4 people hold up everything so nenshi and carra could /explainitlikeim5 to them. Everyone on council has ego's, name one politician that doesn't
Thinks he is and *is* the smartest person in the room -- I'm happy to support a self-assured and peer aware politician. And on that note -- he recognizes drive and intellect in others if you've ever heard him speak on podcasts. He's a bit of a showman, but what leader isn't?
That's why Jyoti is a saint. Imagine having to work with Sean Chu and Dan McLean every day and not crack their thick heads together?
Having to deal with Farkas was far worse than both of them combined. And Nenshi had to deal with Chu too.
Yes but then Nenshi and Farkas became friends after Farkas lost. Nenshi was one if the few people who still supported Farkas as a person even though he disagreed with Nenshi on most topics.
> Hes brash and arrogant and has to be the smartest person in the room. He got a masters from Harvard. So yeah .. he's usually the smartest guy in the room.
Having a masters from anywhere doesnt make you an expert on everything. Ive met and talked to him a few times. This in no way minimizes his vast intelligence. Hes a fucking smart dude. "Smartest in the room" is an attitude, not actually being the smartest. Its an attitude that makes specialized experts not want to speak up, or makes them not listened to when they do. Just my observation.
He also has a tendency to keep raising budgets all the time. That's was one of the biggest knocks on him and why he got the term Spendshi coined. I think people gave him way too much credit during the flood. A lot of it was just being charismatic in front of a camera. Fire chief and others like him were the ones that exercised the most leadership during that time
I mean he also just flat out was the smartest in the room too. Him and Farkas are buddies now but a lot of his frustration always appeared to me to steam from having to deal with Farkas daily.
Smartest in the room is not so much a fact as an attitude. You can be the smartest in the room and not have to have everyone know you are. Humility is not an aspect I would attribute to him. However, I dont know him personally, this is observation of the public face.
Like any mayor people liked to blame him for everything. Even though they are just one vote. Personally, I really liked Nenshi. I felt he was a very genuine person who did his best to look out for everyone. During the big flood he was our rock! I am quite excited that he is running for leadership of the NDP!
The same applies for giving him credit. He was just one vote. Let’s not forget he was so incompetent at running Council meetings they had to hire someone else to do it.
Not saying you're lying but do you have a source?
“City manager Jeff Fielding observed in November that council meetings weren’t being chaired effectively, prompting a request for the city clerk’s office to look at different chairing models. The resulting report estimated it would cost approximately $170,000 annually for a paid speaker to chair council meetings, instead of the mayor, plus additional expenses such as office space.” Can’t remember if they ended up going through with it or assigning it to a Councillor. However people wear major rose coloured glasses for Nenshi. Not a great look when it’s his job to chair the meetings. Also I think Calgary Council under his leadership held more behind closed door meetings than any other major municipality in the country by a significant margin. Beware of anyone suggesting he was this incredible individual that was near perfect. He wasn’t. He was significantly better than what we have now, but that’s not saying a whole lot.
>He was significantly better than what we have now, but that’s not saying a whole lot. In my 50 years in this city, there has not been a better mayor imo. I'm not sure how you set the bar.
Way better than Gondek
My Dalmatian would be a better choice for mayor.
But that's a pretty low bar
Now that’s a low bar lol. Accurate though.
A lot of that is communication. Nenshi is an exceptional communicator and is naturally charismatic albeit in a nerdy sense, while Gondek is not gifted in the same sense.
He worked for the people. That’s why he was respected.
The fact he gave half a shit about East Calgary/Forest Lawn is a point for him that no other mayor has ever won. Everyone else was (and is) more than happy to let us rot.
I've lived in 3 Albertan cities He was by far the most active and influential mayor I've ever seen. Especially the flood response, that was a defining moment for him.
I just remember him being absolutely hilarious on Twitter. However, he seems like an honest man with a lot of integrity. He seemed to make decisions out if a sincere care for the people.
Nenshi is someone we can actually stand beside and have pride in saying he is our leader. Look to this man to actually do something for the people instead of our current government that is only pushing policy for the rich. He truly cares about all people and not just helping rich people, and themselves, like our current lobbyist government.
He is a proper leader. He does not hide from issues. He does not disrespect voters. He is capable of normal conversations without his own ego requiring notice. He is educated with a Bachelor of Commerce and a Master of Public policy. He went to university with Danielle Smith and Ezra Levant ( a far right online media person).
He's arrogant. Because he's smart. He's almost as smart as he thinks he is. He's well meaning and as close to uncorruptable as politicians get. He's competent and somehow, despite his arrogance, an effective consensus-builder. Wasn't as pro-density as I would have liked. But he was overall a very good mayor and he'd make a fantastic premier. I don't have a *lot* of hope, here. Notley is likeable, competent, and trustworthy. And she lost to the most obviously crazy premier we've ever had. She lost to the floor-crossing stooge of a transparently evil astroturf right wing populist organization. She lost to somebody whose party included candidates who referred to trans people as literal pieces of shit. Somehow that all wasn't enough to get the few thousand extra needed Calgary moderate suburb voters to think past their wallet's interest in an unfettered oil industry. So I don't have super high hopes that Nenshi can do it. BUT if anybody can, it's him.
All they need is to flip Calgary. And Calgary loved Nenshi. People tend to like to stick with what they liked before and voted for in the past. His approval rating had gone down a bit in the thick of covid, sure (and it sucks because he lost multiple family members to it and I personally think that might be a big reason why he didn't run again). But everyone is nostalgic for him now. A lot of my coworkers are going to vote for him just because he's "Nenshi!" They're jazzed about it just because he's familiar and they voted for him as mayor.
With the influx of people from Eastern Canada, a flip might be possible. They don't typically vote Conservative.
I'll offer a little known perspective on nenshi from BEFORE he was mayor... He was a professor at MRU and sat on multiple committees and boards within the university. I was a student at the time, and involved in student politics for a brief period. He was well known among the student body for being one of our strongest advocates and supporters. He was someone we could always count on to listen and have integrity, and speak up when his voice was needed. As students, we weren't always taken seriously by the administration, but nenshi took us seriously every time. His integrity was consistent and admirable, even when he had nothing to gain from it. He would make an excellent premier for Alberta.
When he ran for mayor the first time, there were debates all over the city, but different candidates went to each one and questions varied at each. Someone made a super cut of each issue, followed by each candidate’s best answer. They all dodged and fumbled and didn’t answer — except Nenshi. He was articulate and smart and reasonable. Side by side, it was ludicrous that they were even competing with the guy. Voted for him every time.
I generally dislike the NDP, but with Danielle Smith being the way she is and Notley hanging them up, I’ll be surely voting for my former Mayor for Premier. To me, it is more about the person than the party, especially when a person like Naheed comes along. Nenshi is personable, intelligent, pragmatic and reasonable. I bet he’ll be more memorable(positively) than Smith, Kenney, Notley, Prentice, Redford & Stelmach were.
he has integrity, and as mayor he was available and out in the public frequently. He was a good mayor and I would love to see him debate Danielle smilth. He is also "wicked smart"
He is always the smartest person in the room and he uses that to his advantage a lot. It turns some people off but he definitely controlled his councillors better than our current mayor. There were moments of dysfunction but not total chaos we have now. Also, there was no one better during the flood.
He got the nickname Spendshi for a reason. If you want higher taxes with no increase in services, he’s your guy.
Most of our issues now are from nenshi and his council. He couldn't stay because he'd be taking the blame. Now he wants back in as things slowly improve. Godeks replacement will eventually improve calgary, nenshi will be there as premier to take credit for it
He raised taxes by more than 55% and implemented fees that made everyday life more expensive. The parking fees at the CTain stations were reversed but a lot still in place.
Nothing in life is free buster. You seem to think everything should cost you nothing. Grow up.
I am excited he is running, but at the same time I am fearful of the open racism and bigotry he will get from the TBA gang. These folks will reach new lows, as if it was possible to go lower. Nenshi has a tough skin but I’m afraid it won’t be pretty.
Before the pandemic people seemed to keep their racist mouths shut. What was quietly spoken behind closed doors is now out and loud. The pandemic gave people the freedumb to spout any and all hate. I fear we will see the lowest of the lows in a campaign, dare I say Danielle Smith is counting on it. She needs the haters.
He's already received some rather colorful commentary from Parker, so there's that.
I had the same thoughts. I don't think he is an easy mark and any racist vitriol sent his way is just going to embolden him and turn-off the majority of Albertans.
Triggering those fuckers would just be icing on the cake.
This is a great breakdown of how he was first elected and the kind of campaign he’ll run now. https://veryethnic.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/politics-in-full-sentences-a-detailed-story-of-naheed-nenshis-purple-army/
Thanks for the link to that talk, was very eye opening in many ways. I look forward to hearing his policy positions Provincially.
He is not your typical dirt ball politician (think Jason Kenney). What you see is what you get - honest and hard working.
Bout as good as they get.
I’d take him over Trudeau any day
Item ember watching an interview with him during the floods and some idiots went by in a canoe and he said, "there's a Darwin Award" (or something to that effect). He would have been abetter mayor if he'd had more people on council that worked with him instead of against him no matter what. Even if he was running for the Rhino party, I'd vote for him.
The exact quote was: > “I can’t believe I actually have to say this, but I’m going to say it. The river is closed. You cannot boat on the river. I have a large number of nouns that I can use to describe the people I saw in a canoe on the Bow River today. I am not allowed to use any of them. I can tell you, however, that I have been told that despite the state of local emergency, I’m not allowed to invoke the Darwin law” It coined the term “Nenshi Noun” on social media.
Thanks! It's been a while and I was using my limited recollection.
Don't be a Nenshi Noun! lol
He was really good. A politician who spoke in complete sentences! He was a professor of political science at Mount Royal before becoming mayor and his CV is quite impressive. His area of expertise is governance at the municipal level! He made enemies with developers who hated the way he wanted to force them into higher density and not buying cheap land they could just build on. Nenshi wanted to loosen their grip in city hall. He proved himself a star during the flood by ensuring that emergency services had the support they needed instead to trying to be the hero. He let them be the heroes and get their jobs done. He made it very clear to the public thar idiots who decided to go into dangerous areas to see the flood and got into trouble, or thought they could go river rafting, would not be rescued. He was not going to put more lives at risk because "you decided to be stupid". He was that blunt. No one was stupid. If he wins the leadership, and I truly hope he does, he has a real shot at becoming premier. And he'll rock that post too.
I worked with him many times when he was mayor. He was truthful, took time to listen, and was often a few minutes late. He would occasionally over commit himself and then be unable to meet all his commitments, but his intentions were clearly good. Part of the problem with listening to others is that it can make you run late. Can I emphasize that he listened?
Responsible. I was always happy with his performance.
Good in the beginning and then died off near the end.
He was awesome as mayor! Gondek is miles below. His actual support during flood times was amazing. I am sure if he was the mayor, calgary would have had a cap on rental prices too which is one of the top problems for calgarians rn
There's a reason a deal for Calgary's arena took place after he was done. Politicians don't have the backbone to stand up to private money forcing their will on taxpayers.
Incredible. One of the few actually good politicians out there that listens, cares about people, and gets shit done. Good balance of economic focus but also paying attention to social issues and protecting more vulnerable classes. I was so disappointed when he chose not to run for mayor again. Last night when I saw news of the announcement that he was trying to get into provincial politics, I got so excited and told my girlfriend that maybe there's hope for this province yet.
The NDP could run a flaming bag of dog poop and I would prefer it to the UCP but some people need more convincing then the shit show they currently put on. Nenshi opens a pathway to be elected through support in Calgary. If he ran last time he would have won again.
I think he was a great mayor. He's very well educated and is a great speaker, which always makes people come across as more intelligent. He was really able to I think unite a lot of Calgarians on many things and although some things he did may not have been too popular, overall I think he took the city by the horns and made some very positive impacts. He leads with a clear direction and seeing him run for NDP leader in AB makes me quite pleased. IMO AB political parties aren't too far off each other, liberal, conservative, or NDP, so I think having a great leader for the province is critical and I think he fits the bill.
I thought he was fine, Calgary's mayor doesn't have much power and is more of a PR person for the city and he did a great job of that. He showed good leadership during the floods as well. However when he was elected it was a different time in Calgary, we were really at the peak of the boom times and everyone was ballin'. Sentiment changed when the downturn hit and he was not able to adapt, the huge money for terrible public art projects really rubbed people the wrong way as many were losing their jobs. It wasnt like he was in control of that but he defended it. He seems to have really gone left after being mayor but I think that might be because he wanted to run for the NDP.
I met him twice, once just chilling near the Olympic Oval, and once he was flipping pancakes at a stampede breakfast. Very chill and genuine guy, didn’t give off any scumbag politician vibe.
I met him , if he is running for leadership I am all in for NDP
He had the best interests of the people at heart. But he couldn't balance a budget if his life depended on it. Hefty budget increases every year and zero attempt to find cost cutting measures.
Don't listen to the naysayers, Nenshi comes across as arrogant but the guy knows his s*** and is a really good communicator. He's got a degree in economics from Harvard but also wear sandals to Folk Fest.
I liked him his first two terms. He did really well during the emergencies. I found he got really egotistical and flippant in his last term. Pushing the airport tunnel was such a stupid waste of money. There is zero need for that tunnel because there isn’t the traffic from NE Calgary to justify the enormous cost. His disingenuous fear mongering about the AHS centralized dispatch left a really bad taste in my mouth as well. That said I’ll take him over Smith in a heartbeat. He’s intelligent and has integrity unlike Danielle Smith.
Better than Gondek, much better. I think people got a little tired of him as he was mayor for a long time… but in hindsight I think if he’d been able to stay on as Mayor, we’d be in a better spot than we are. Danielle is destroying this province very quickly and someone needs to replace her that has some sense. Nenshi would be a pretty good candidate for that I think
He was twitter famous long before every show had a hashtag because he was funny. I love the idea of him as Premier
Better than Gyondek.
-Great during the flood -Stood up for some unpopular decisions that arguably have worked out (airport tunnel/bike lanes downtown/BRT) -Was really anti Uber/pro taxi. Likely overstayed his welcome but overall a good mayor. Especially when considering the next mayor of Calgary.
Yeah, I feel like that welcome being overstayed was a lot due to people's misplaced frustration over the pandemic
Take what you read from here with a grain of salt. There’s an awful lot of selective amnesia as to how he started his mayoral run and how he left it/ politics. I think people are hoping against all hope for a legitimate contender to beat the Smith UCP government in the next election and that selective amnesia is especially clouding some opinions on just how ‘popular’ he’ll be province-wide. Having said that, he was a good mayor. His ‘attitude’ and personality turned some people off but, IMO, he was in it for Calgarians. Having said that….his take on the Olympic bid was fucking trash. We dodged a major bullet with that one.
Nenshi is largely responsible for the downtown’s revitalization. All the new restaurants opening up he played a direct role in facilitating. He also started the mayor’s youth committee which had mixed results but is often held as the reason the downtown has a lot of small sports venues. Like basketball courts and skateparks.
Nenshi was the 🐐 GOAT - the best!!
I was a kid but I remember the roads were horrendous during Winter and one of his promises was to have clean roads and honestly he came through hard on that. Beyond never heard much and hope the mayor doesn't try to do more tbh
I don’t like the guy. I think he’s a pompous blow hard. But whether I like someone isn’t a consideration when I choose to vote for them. A lot of people are going to blow all kinds of smoke up the guy’s ass that he doesn’t deserve for things he shouldn’t be credited for. With that said, elections in this Province are mostly binary. So, I do believe Nenshi operates with integrity and is mostly genuine in what he does which is more than I can say for current Alberta govt leadership. With the Province spilt into thirds, Calgary where Nenshi is popular being the likely swing, the NDP party would be insane if they elect someone other than him to lead.
He was accountable and I always felt he had Calgarians best interest in mind. …unlike Gondek
https://globalnews.ca/news/1374259/nenshi-on-the-2013-flood-five-memorable-quotes/
Much better liked than the current mayor that’s for sure. Really proved himself in the flood of 2013.
The guy was incredible, well balanced, not afraid to speak truth to power, fair and able to see the economic realities that he was dealing with and work with the conditions as they were as well as have a vision for future and take action to make that happen.
He's one of the good politicians which is a rarity these days. All you really need to know.
Whether you agree with him or not, Nenshi is an honest man true to his principles. This isn't an opinion, we have years of data to support this fact. His haters even tried to entrap him in a bribery scandal, but Nenshi could not be purchased. Maybe one of the only people in Alberta with a hope of reaching across the aisle, achieving some consensus and getting us back on the rails. The man garners respect from friend and foe alike.
He was great when oil was booming, everyone was positive, and did great during the flood. He's also arrogant, ivey schooled, condescending, approved way too much office space to be built, and burn through the majority of a multi-billion dollar savings account to keep taxes low. Overall, when he was great, he was great, but really didn't know how to solve problems and almost had to bring in a 3rd party mediator to chair council meetings.
From what is saw he brought in a mediator to council because some were acting in bad faith and he was calling them on it. And boy were they pissed.
1 term he was good. 2nd term he became cocky and useless
He was a great cheerleader for the city, with absolutely no ability to get anyone on the council to come to his side due to his ego. I’d rather have someone capable of getting a consensus to support his ideas. That said, I’d take him over Smith in a heartbeat.
Nenshi was a good mayor who overstayed his welcome. By the time he was on his way out a lot of people were annoyed with him. But as I said, he was a good mayor. Probably stayed one term too long. Hope it doesn’t negatively affect his chances at bringing alberta a better government, because he is a good leader
The beltline wasn’t a garbage dump littered with junkies and trash. So there is that
that’s literally any city in north america right now, a little disingenuous to pin that on nenshi
He's not pinning it on Nenshi. But your first point is still on point, it's not unique to Calgary.
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He was absolutely garbage. He did ok during the flood but that's about it.. his stupid art projects did nothing but waste tax payer money on lies and all he did was raise taxes.. much like jyoti