After serving as Ward 11’s city councillor from 2017 to 2021 and running for mayor in 2021, Jeromy Farkas has once again set his eyes on Calgary’s top job. Farkas says he wants to bring a new level of listening and transparency to city hall.
Born and raised in Calgary after his parents fled communist Hungary in 1956, Farkas grew up in the southeast neighbourhood of Dover. He would go on to attend the University of Calgary and receive a degree in political science.
Farkas ran for mayor in 2021, finishing second behind Jyoti Gondek. This year, Farkas’ platform focuses on fiscal responsibility, transparency, safety and embracing Calgary’s growing population as an opportunity, not a challenge.
Under his leadership, Farkas believes Calgary can be a city that welcomes new citizens while still serving those who have already decided to call it their home.
The Calgary Journal caught up with Farkas as part of our coverage of the civic election.
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7 Questions with Jeromy Farkas
This interview was edited for clarity and length.
Why are you running for mayor? And how have your reasons changed since you ran in the last election?
This is one of the most pivotal elections in Calgary’s history. Calgary is nearing 2 million people. Our next mayor is going to be here to welcome the 2,000,000th Calgarian. And we need leadership to manage that challenge into an opportunity. So I’m running to build a city that’s safe, affordable and ready for the future. I grew up in Calgary in a newcomer family.
I’ve been really blessed to serve our city in countless ways as a community association executive. As one of Calgary’s youngest city councillors, as a police commissioner, Rotarian, wilderness first responder, nonprofit director and CEO, and now I’m stepping forward to prevent a political party takeover of City Council and to unite Calgarians around a shared vision and help Calgary rise to its full potential.
Do you think all those different ways you’ve served Calgary over the years give you some kind of insight into Calgary that some of the other candidates may not have?
Well, my family came from all over the world. My dad arrived here into this country as a refugee, as an immigrant. And, I think one of the greatest things about our city is that you are a Calgarian the moment you arrive. I think we really need to lean into that, idea of Calgary being a welcoming city and the leadership style that we’re going to need from our next mayor is going to need to be to lead by listening first. And I’ve learned that real leadership means setting aside ego, bringing people together and staying really focused on the results. So whether it’s me serving as a city councillor, as a nonprofit CEO, or hiking, thousands of miles alone on the Pacific Crest Trail, I’ve really built that resilience and a deep respect for others’ perspectives. I’ve also made mistakes, and I’ve grown from them. So we need a mayor who can work across party lines, listen to Calgarians and make decisions based on evidence and not ideology. And that’s really my plan to be able to address Calgary’s urgent challenges, to unite people around a common goal and follow through. So, my leadership style is about trust. It’s about service and having the courage to do what’s right even when it’s hard.
What would you say are your most pressing issues as a candidate, and how do you plan on solving them?
What I’m hearing most is that people don’t feel heard. There’s a lack of listening at City Hall, and it’s showing up in growing concerns about affordability, safety and neighbourhood change. People are frustrated by rising costs. They’re feeling unsafe in public spaces, and decisions really seem disconnected from real life. So I really strongly believe that the answers to our biggest challenges housing, safety and affordability already exist out there in the community, and it’s by bringing Calgarians together and listening to the wisdom of the community that we will move forward, and we really need to tap into that.
How do you plan to appeal to and meet the needs of young people?
It’s so important to remain practical, and one of the reasons I’ve chosen to run as an independent and leave the political party baggage aside so that I can work across party lines. The big challenges we’re facing right now in terms of housing availability, in terms of food insecurity, these are big challenges, but they can be met through working together. And, my first job as mayor will be to bring city council together and get to work. Calgarians are really tired of the fighting and the delays. Many Calgarians, including youth, including students, don’t feel represented in the decisions that are being made. And I think I’m in a unique position as having been one of Calgary’s youngest city councillors. To be able to provide that youth perspective. And as an independent mayor, I can work with everyone, no matter what party they’re from. We need a team that’s really focused on the real problems, like housing, safety, and affordability. So I’ll work closely with the entire nonprofit sector. I’ll work closely with the provincial and federal governments to get things done. And we can’t solve these challenges alone. So from day one, I will work to set a new tone at City Hall. More teamwork, less drama, and it’s really time to stop the politics and start to get real, live results for Calgarians. Interesting.
Speaking of traditional party lines. What would you say to traditional conservative voters who dismiss your candidacy because you have been described as being socially liberal?
Like most Calgarians, I’m really tough to put in a box. In the past, I described myself as an old school PC, which used to mean socially liberal and fiscally responsible. I’m a lot less inclined to use those kinds of labels now, as I find alignment with people who identify across the political spectrum. I believe the government should be responsible with tax dollars because that ensures public trust. While I’m also very open-minded and compassionate in how government should treat people. And it’s that balance that doesn’t really exist in today’s polarized party system. So I don’t see myself in provincial or federal political parties like a lot of Calgarians. Some spend too freely on the wrong things. Other parties divide people on social issues. And that’s why I’m running for mayor independently. To really put conditions first without being tied to anyone’s partisan agenda.
How do you want to see the city prosper?
You know, I am so blessed as a Calgarian to be one of the first of my family to be able to finish high school, to be able to be one of the first to finish university. There are so many opportunities that’ve been afforded to me, to my family. Public service is all about paying that forward, right? If this election is about the personalities involved, if it’s solely about the candidates, we’ll have missed a great opportunity. This election really has to be about how do we lean into that question of growth? How do we give young people, especially, a genuine seat at the table because the decisions that are being made now are ones that our next generation are going to have to live with, they’re the ones who are going to be inheriting either the infrastructure that we build or that we don’t maintain. So I really want Calgary to be ready for the future. I want us to continue to be a welcoming city. Right now, we’re in a bit of a right-wing populist moment where there’s a lot of scapegoating of immigration, population growth and whatnot. So there’s a lot of fear and anxiety that Calgarians are feeling around this idea of being a city of 2 million people. It’s a huge challenge, that number. But I think even more so, it’s a deep opportunity for us if we can actually get some of these things right, if we can focus on maintaining our infrastructure, if we can step up with support for the social sector, if we can get behind supporting the people in the organizations who keep our communities strong. So my vision for Calgary is no less than what my father knew as a child, as a refugee, the best place on earth to be able to make a life, to be able to bring forward, their skills, their talents, their, their dreams, to be able to make this place better. Calgary is a great place. And one of the unique things is our story is still being written. We’re now old enough to know, but we’re still young enough to do. And this is such an exciting moment in time. So my message to Calgarians would be, these are tough challenges, but we’ve got this. We’ve got a plan we can execute. We have a great opportunity to be able to hit reset with this brand new mayor and city council. So, let’s get to it.
When you’re not running for mayor, what do you do in your free time?
I have such an eclectic set of interests, you know, I’m, I’m obviously a big outdoors guy, I spend a lot of time as a community volunteer, and I really enjoy my nonprofit work. So that means getting involved with our local community associations, volunteers, and frontline workers who step up every day to help make Calgary safer and more connected. That’s why my platform. I’m really committed to standing with our first responders, our police, our firefighters, our 911 staff who carry such an enormous burden. I am so thrilled to be engaged in a number of different organizations, like Big Brothers and Sisters, the Elks Community Health Center, and so on. But, you know, in my real downtime, you’ll find me probably on top of a mountain somewhere.
Watch video of Calgary Journal reporter Nash Hanna speaking with Jeromy Farkas.