Kent Hehr to run for mayor of Calgary

CALGARY – A politician many Calgarians will be familiar with filed paperwork Tuesday morning to run in October’s municipal election.

Former federal Liberal Kent Hehr said on the weekend he’ll be running for mayor.

“Frankly, this wasn’t my plan. But I haven’t seen a truly progressive candidate who will continue to establish Calgary’s reputation as a forward-thinking city,” he said in a release.

He said he wants to bring growth, fairness, and collaboration to council.

“Right now we have a race full of ideas we’ve heard before, people without much experience, people who were conservatives until about a minute ago, and people who just added to the infighting and dysfunction of City Hall.”

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It is a very bloated field when it comes to the mayor’s race in Calgary, with Hehr being the 28th person to run for the seat and replace outgoing mayor Naheed Nenshi.

Outside his law office in downtown Calgary on Tuesday afternoon, Hehr told 660 NEWS he is not fazed by the number of competitors.

“It’s the marketplace of ideas,” he said. “You bring your values, you present bold platform initiatives that are going to move this city forward in terms of a more connected city, a more diversified economy here, as well as a more compassionate city. A city that allows for everyone to really have an equal and fair chance at success.”

Hehr said his policies should particularly resonate with young voters, and a more complete platform is expected to be released later this week with priorities such as transit projects, gender-responsive urban planning, and property tax reform.

The former MLA and MP has been out of public life since falling to Conservative Greg McLean who took the Calgary-Centre seat in the 2019 federal election. Before that vote, Hehr was embroiled in controversy surrounding sexual harassment allegations during his time in parliament. An investigation was conducted and Hehr resigned from the Liberal cabinet as a result, however, the complete details of that investigation have not been made public.

Hehr does not believe it will be a distraction.

“Time has put perspective on this issue that I think allows me to move forward to public office again, and I believe people should Google my name, have a fair reading of the account, and decide for themselves.”

Along with entering a crowded field of candidates, Hehr is joining the race very late — with only a little over a month to go until voters head to the polls on October 18.

Lori Williams, associate professor of policy studies at Mount Royal University, said that will be an added challenge.

“It’s going to be a bit of an uphill climb for him,” she said. “Nevertheless, I think he will certainly be recognizable to some voters and in a very crowded field that could make a difference.”

Williams is also skeptical that the harassment allegations will not be a distraction, particularly because Hehr does not have a lot of time to answer questions about the matter because election day is coming up so soon.

She said Hehr does still have a lot of name recognition, particularly in his former inner-city riding, but it will be harder to reach out to voters in the suburbs and increase his influence after other candidates have spent months campaigning.

Hehr also has a lot of experience in politics and even previously ran for mayor in 2010 before dropping out a month before the vote to endorse Nenshi.

“It’s certainly possible that he’s got the experience in terms of supporters and campaigners that he could very well understand how to run a campaign quite effectively and could be successful. But he’s up against really strong, well-connected successful campaigners in other campaigns as well,” Williams added

To view a complete list of all the candidates running for mayor, visit the Elections Calgary website.