Pursuit of the Pyramid: Edmonton’s 2010 City Council Candidates

Edmonton’s 2010 municipal election is just over five months away. This is the time of year where most incumbents announce their intentions, and challengers begin to come out of the woodwork.

I’ll be writing more about the election as part of another project that will be launched soon, but in the meantime, I thought that on the heels of yesterday’s post about Ward 11, many readers are probably curious about who’s running where.

I’ve put together a list of declared, likely, and possible candidates. I believe it’s the most comprehensive list available at the moment. It will be updated on an on-going basis; please send me an email, or post a comment, if you have names to add to it.

(Note: Update Sunday afternoon at 5pm MST, thanks to a City Hall insider).

Mayor
Confirmed: Stephen Mandel
Probable: Dave Dowling
Possible: Don Koziak

Mayor Mandel announced his intentions to run for a third term, and there is unlikely to be serious opposition. He will compete against the usual slate of fringe candidates (such as Mr. Dowling). The most serious opposition he might see is from someone like Don Koziak, or another candidate looking to raise his/her profile for a future Council/Mayoral campaign.

Ward 1
Confirmed: Andrew Knack, Jamie Post
Probable: Linda Sloan
Possible: Karen Leibovici

Andrew Knack, who placed third in 2007, has announced his intentions to run again, as has first-time candidate Jamie Post, who is active with the Glenwood Community League in the ward.

Both Karen Leibovici and Linda Sloan have expressed that they will run again. One will take this ward, and one will take Ward 5, the south half of their current ward. My guess is that Leibovici takes 5, where she lives, and Sloan runs here, but we’ll leave them both as ‘probable’ until they formally announce their intentions.

Update: A City Hall insider tells me that Sloan will run here and Leibovici in Ward 5

Ward 2
Confirmed: Kim Krushell
Probable: Ron Hayter
Possible: Jabin Caouette, Kerry Hutton, Don Koziak, Shelley Tupper

Incumbent Kim Krushell has announced her intentions to run here. Fellow incumbent Ron Hayter has yet to announce his, though as I noted yesterday, I believe he will retire. If he does run, it will be here or in Ward 3.

The list of possible candidates includes those who have run before, in most cases multiple times. Caouette and Hutton have run in the past two elections, and could run again here or in Ward 3. Tupper lives in Kensington, which is in the Ward, and in 2007, did about 5% better in the polls here than she did in the ones going to Ward 3. Koziak ran in Ward 2 before his 2007 Mayoral run, and owns a business on Kingsway Ave. If the City Centre Airport supporters were to front a candidate here, it would likely be him.

Ward 3
Confirmed: Dave Loken
Probable: Ron Hayter
Possible: Jabin Caouette, Kerry Diotte, Kerry Hutton

Dave Loken’s website indicates he is running in Ward 3, which is consistent with what I’ve been hearing for months. Hayter could also run here if he decides to seek re-election.

The usual suspects, Caouette and Hutton, show up, as does an interesting name: Kerry Diotte. I heard second hand that he was going to run in “the ward where Hayter’s running”, which I infer to mean Ward 3 (though I guess it could mean Ward 2 as well). I’ve heard elsewhere he was thinking about running in Ward 6 (downtown), but if he were to take the plunge, I think it’s most likely to be here. And to be honest, it’s a good place for him to run.

Ward 4
Confirmed: Ed Gibbons, Perry Chahal
Possible: Dan Backs, Chris Martin, Kyle Balombin

I can’t find any official confirmation that Ed Gibbons is running, but I have heard from several sources that he will in this ward, which is why current ward-mate and fellow Ward 4 resident Tony Caterina is looking at Ward 7. I haven’t heard any other names. Martin and Balombin were the 4th and 5th place finishers in ’07 (behind Gibbons, Caterina, and Harvey Voogd).

Update: A City Hall source tells me that Dan Backs, the one-term Liberal MLA for Edmonton-Manning who was kicked out of caucus, and lost his 2008 re-election bid as an independent, is looking to run here.

Update: Reader Marilyn Hooper notes Perry Chahal will be running here.

Ward 5
Probable: Karen Leibovici
Possible: Linda Sloan

As mentioned earlier, one of Leibovici or Sloan will run here. My money’s on Leibovici, and she won’t face much of a challenge.

Ward 6
Probable: Jane Batty or Ben Henderson
Possible: Kerry Diotte

My understanding is that Batty and Henderson won’t run against each other, but haven’t decided who will run in 6 and who will run in 8. As noted, I’ve heard Diotte’s name floated here too. There will be a number of fringe candidates as well.

I would not be surprised to see a candidate from Central McDougall/Boyle/McCauley area run, largely on the platform of concentrated poverty, which is a hot-button issue in those communities. I haven’t, however, heard a name yet.

Ward 7
Confirmed: Brendan Van Alstine
Probable: Tony Caterina
Possible: Carrie Thuesen, Harvey Voogd

Community activist Brendan Van Alstine has been out campaigning for several months. I’ve heard this is where Caterina is looking to run, though this isn’t confirmed. Thuesen, Ed Gibbons’ Executive Assistant at City Hall, has confirmed that she’s considering it, and 2007 runner-up Harvey Voogd remains a possibility as well.

Ward 8
Confirmed: Lori Heaney, Hana Razga
Probable: Jane Batty or Ben Henderson
Possible: Debbie Yeung

Razga, who ran in Ward 4 in 2007, has announced her intentions. As noted above, one of Batty or Henderson will run here. Debbie Yeung, who has run three times, and finished fourth in ’07, could also make another run here.

Update: Lori Heaney is confirmed.

Ward 9
Confirmed: Bryan Anderson
Possible: Lewis Cardinal, Donna Finucane, Brent Michalyk

Anderson, the four-term incumbent, will run in this southwest ward. He may or may not see serious competition. Donna Finucane finished third in Ward 5 in 2004 (behind Anderson and Mike Nickel), and three years ago, indicated that she had an eye on running again this election. I’m not sure if this is still the case, or if Anderson’s decision changes anything. Lewis Cardinal, the Ward 4 runner-up in ’07, and candidate of record for the NDP in the federal riding of Edmonton-Centre, lives in Ward 9, and may run here in the future. For what it’s worth, I think he’s much better suited for City Council than Parliament (and has a better chance of getting elected too). Michalyk ran in 2007, and lives in the Ward 9 community of Blackmud Creek. He could make another run.

Ward 10
Confirmed: Don Iveson

Iveson announced his intentions, and is unlikely to face serious competition.

Ward 11
Confirmed: Shane Bergdahl
Probable; Chinwe Okelu
Possible: Chuck McKenna
This site was the first to report Bergdahl’s candidacy in yesterday’s post. Since then, I’ve received an email from a reader stating that Okelu is running, though I’m waiting to here for certain that it’s in Ward 11, and that I can credit this reader with the news, before I move him to confirmed.

2007 candidates McKenna and Heaney are possibilities as well.

Ward 12
Confirmed: Amarjeet Sohi
Possible: Chuck McKenna

Sohi should coast to victory here, though I suspect he’ll face some nominal competition. McKenna or Heaney could run here, but if they’re going to run again, I think they’ll probably make a run at Ward 11.

As noted at the start, this list is a work in progress. Please send any tips you have this way. And once again, I encourage Edmontonians to start reading about their likely candidates. It’s also not too late to encourage your friends or neighbours to run, or to think about doing so yourself.

Coming tomorrow: I rank the 13 races from most to least competitive.

Advertisement