
‘Maybe I’m irritating:’ Naheed Nenshi neck-and-neck with challenger in Calgary mayoralty race
CALGARY — He’s hip, funny, well-educated and widely known across Canada, but Naheed Nenshi is facing the fight of his political life as he seeks his third term as Calgary’s mayor.
During his two previous terms, Nenshi was named the No. 1 mayor in the world by an international urban research institute and feted with the World Mayor Prize in 2014. He has been praised as an “urban visionary,” who doesn’t neglect the nitty-gritty of local government.
But Calgary’s struggling economy and a number of missteps have opened the door in Monday’s civic election for Bill Smith, 54, a Calgary lawyer and former firefighter who was president of Alberta’s Progressive Conservative Party.
“A month ago we were all saying that it’s hard to kick out an incumbent and Bill Smith had no name recognition back then,” said independent pollster Janet Brown.