The 2007 Calgary municipal election will take place on 15 October 2007. This will be a joint election with the Calgary Board of Education and the Calgary Roman Catholic Separate School District No. 1. There is one position opened for mayor and 14 ward positions as alderman. All current incumbents are expected to run again in this election.
Due to a vote scandal in ward 10, the Calgary City Council passed Bylaw 58M2006 which will require electors to produce one of the following required identifications before they can receive their ballot:
- Canadian Driver's or Operator's Licence;
- Canadian Passport;
- Canadian Military Identification;
- Birth Certificate;
- Baptismal Certificate;
- Alberta Personal Health Card;
- Alberta Identification Card;
- Certificate of Canadian Citizenship;
- Veteran Affairs Canada;
- Old Age Security (OAS) Card;
- Firearms Licence Possession - Acquisition; and
- Firearms - Possession Only Licence [1]
For the nominations, nomination day will be held on 17 September 2007 between 9:00am and 12:00pm in the Council Chamber of the municipal building. In accordance to Bylaw 31M2007 and Bylaw 30M2007, a minimum of 100 electors must nominate the candidate and a $500 deposit is required on nomination day.
Potential Candidates edit
Mayor edit
- Dave Bronconnier - The current mayor of Calgary is expected to run in the election and win given the trend of incumbency in Calgary and in Alberta. He held a fundraiser on 26 June, 2007, raising over $300,000. Some predict that his total campaign finances have exceeded $1 million[2], although Dave Bronconnier has not disclosed the exact numbers.
- Alnoor Kassam - A controversial entrepreneur who fled Kenya in 1993 for allegedly bribing politicians in the country. He states that a 2002 immigration hearing has cleared him of any wrongdoing and granted him Canadian citizenship. Alnoor has also come under fire for raising rents in his apartment building in Mount Royal. Mr. Kassam gave his tenants three months free rent and three months at the original rent. Mr. Kassam is renovating the rundown 15 unit Apartment building which will reopen again as rental property. His campaign office is currently located on Stephen Avenue.
- Jeremy Zhao - A student at the University of Calgary studying engineering and political science. He is on the list of potential voters, but his intentions have not been published by the media, and only on his website[3].
Ward 1 edit
- Dale Hodges - A veteran alderman who has been elected since 1983; he is currently in his eighth term as alderman. He has lived in Calgary Northwest for over 30 years, and his wife Yvonne is a retired principal.[4]
Ward 2 edit
- Gord Lowe
Ward 3 edit
- Helene Larocque
- Jim Stevenson - He is a Calgary businessman who has announced his plans to run in ward 3. He currently sits on the city's subdivision and development appeal board.[5]
Footnotes edit
- ^ 2007 Calgary General Election, City of Calgary.
- ^ Colette Derworiz, "Mayor's war chest scares off rivals", Calgary Herald, 2 July, 2007, B1
- ^ Jeremy Zhao announces his plans to run for the office of mayor in Calgary
- ^ Biography of Dale Hodges, City of Calgary
- ^ "Businessman tosses hat into Ward 3 race", Calgary Herald, 4 July, 2007, B2