Courtney Walcott becomes third city council rookie to not seek re-election this fall
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Courtney Walcott, city councillor for Ward 8, announced Thursday he's the third rookie member of council to not seek re-election this fall.
Walcott, who was elected to council in October 2021, said he was more focused on prioritizing how he could help Calgary progress during his four years on council, rather than thinking about re-election.
"I think a lot of people still look at this as a career, whereas I always looked at it as a term of service," Walcott said.
"You can absolutely come in, hit the ground running. Run full speed. Give all your energy and focus to something. Don't get distracted and accomplish it. And it's rare."
A former teacher and community activist, Walcott made a mark in several areas during his time on council. He pointed to council approving a climate strategy and an anti-racism strategy as key plans he supported.
He also cited his time on the Calgary Police Commission, which approved a new call response model for the police. The system frees up police officers to be able to respond to crime rather than mental health or addictions issues.
Housing a key accomplishment
Walcott was a key voice calling for the City of Calgary to establish a housing and affordability task force. Its report ultimately led to council's decision to approve a housing strategy.
"The housing strategy and rezoning is the thing I'm most proud of," Walcott said. "Because no matter how contentious it got, what it really is is it's a legacy for future generations to have an opportunity to find a safe place to live."
Walcott is the second Black person to serve on Calgary city council. Virnetta Anderson was the first, serving one term in the 1970s.
He said council needs greater diversity, not just to better represent a changing city but to ensure a variety of voices around the council table.
"The changing demographics, the representation of racialized people, honestly the makeup of people in need is changing," Walcott said. "So it's not really what does the building, what does city hall need. Those voices are what the public needs."
Increasing negativity in politics
Walcott is the fourth member of the current council to announce he will not seek re-election.
Ward 4 Coun. Sean Chu said in 2021 that this would be his last term.
In recent weeks, first-term councillors Jasmine Mian in Ward 3 and Evan Spencer in Ward 12 also revealed they won't run again this fall.
Lori Williams, associate professor of policy studies at Mount Royal University, was struck by how young councillors like Walcott, Mian and Spencer seem to be looking for other ways to make a difference in Calgary that they think could be more constructive or effective — amid a more negative and combative tone to political discussions that's grown in the last decade.
"It's sad to see that [some councillors] don't think it's worth the kind of trouble that council has been and may continue to be," Williams said.
"In some ways, it's a loss for Calgary that this negativity is basically deterring people who are trying to be more positive, who come in with ideas and maybe a vision for the future to try and bring people together and find common ground. And that those who want to be more ideological, more combative, more polarized, seem to be the ones that want to contest these elections."
The introduction of political parties to municipal politics, which will do more to advertise councillor's ideological and partisan affiliations to voters, and the provincial government's interference on local issues like the Green Line, are other factors that Williams says could discourage potential councillors.
For those currently representing Calgarians, Williams added that incumbency isn't the advantage it once was.
"It's a tough time for incumbents. There's been a lot of attacks against this council, on social media in particular, and the folks that are leaving from city council have been quite present on social media," Williams said.
Spencer told CBC News on Friday he would have sought re-election if the tone of council discussions had been less negative and fractured, and if he could see a more collaborative path forward.
While Spencer said he was part of a group of councillors looking to push solutions forward, and make hard decisions and compromises about how Calgary will progress, but they met pushback from other councillors who were pulled toward opposition, critique and grandstanding.
He added this was exacerbated by a provincial government willing to capitalize on municipal politics.
"That solutions aversion that we're dealing with in this city right now is a big part of it," Spencer said. "The folks that have decided they're not continuing, at this point, stuck to their guns in terms of moving the city forward, but also are looking at what it entails to continue on that journey in the face of a lot of opposition."
Spencer agreed it's becoming more difficult for incumbents to run. In some ways, he says, this is positive as the city may not be well-served by a councillor sitting in office for 20 years. But he worries the pendulum has swung too far in the other direction.
"It does speak to the environment that is starting to solidify in our municipal discourse," Spencer said. "It's disconcerting, for sure, because you spend a good chunk of your first term getting up to speed. I know I have lots left to give. I do believe I can give that as a community member."
Spencer worries political parties being introduced at the municipal level is going to make local decision-making and compromises even more difficult, and that councillors who are more thoughtfully weighing difficult tradeoffs are being edged out by more ideological politics.
Life after politics
Ward 8 is made up of inner-city communities to the south and west of Calgary's downtown. Walcott won an open election for the seat after Evan Woolley, who represented the ward from 2013 to 2021, stepped aside to explore opportunities in the private sector.
As for what's next after politics, Walcott said he hasn't made any decisions just yet.
"I'd love to find myself in the housing space somewhere, but I'd also love to find myself back in a classroom in some way, at any level," Walcott said.
"I don't know yet but I've got time."
Eight members of council, including Mayor Jyoti Gondek, have announced they intend to be candidates in this fall's election.
Calgarians will go to the polls on Oct. 20.
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