Michael Petrakis is running in the 2025 municipal elections to become Lethbridge's next mayor. (Photo: Lethbridge News Now)

By David Opinko

Michael Petrakis running for mayor of Lethbridge

Oct 2, 2025 | 10:31 AM

A man seeking to become Lethbridge’s next mayor says he has a grand vision for what it could become.

Michael Petrakis is running in the 2025 municipal elections, set for October 8-20.

He told LNN that this is a moment he has been preparing for his entire life, and that he has been studying the relevant issues for the last 15 years.

Petrakis says that understanding the Unemployment Cost Burden (UCB) is key to moving forward as a society.

He claims that Lethbridge loses $1 billion every year in economic potential due to unemployment, thanks to rising healthcare costs, increased crime, dependency on welfare, and diminished productivity.

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Petrakis proposed spending $250 million every year to ensure that people can be meaningfully employed and that currently underfunded initiatives and frontline services are properly funded.

“We can do that gradually, while proving the success rates on a month by month basis, and when we realize that it’s cheaper to resolve the issues as opposed to manage the crisis, there’s no reason why every community in Canada cannot begin immediately resolving all of the crises by providing people that don’t have homes with homes, by providing long term rehabilitation for people who are suffering that don’t just need a quick fix and then thrown back onto the street or whatever,” says Petrakis.

“If I’m right, mark my words, this is going to be recognized as the single greatest discovery in human history.”

Petrakis notes that he is making five plain promises, and that if he cannot provide value for your dollar, he will not spend your dollar:

• Property tax relief
• No “mystery projects” and better transparency on big infrastructure projects
• More rental homes with a 21-day approval process for secondary suites
• Free transit fares for seniors outside of peak hours, lower fees for everyone
• 30-day safety fixes

He also advocated for the creation of a ward system in Lethbridge, which would have councillors represent sections of the city rather than the entire community. Petrakis believes that this would result in better representation for all residents.

Our interview with Petrakis was live-streamed, and you can watch the full interview below:

You can learn more about Petrakis and his platform on his website, MichaelForMayor.love, or check out his Facebook page.

More coverage of the 2025 Municipal Election is available here.

READ MORE: Finalized list of candidates for Lethbridge’s municipal elections