Former Edmonton city councillor Michael Walters launches bid for mayor

A former Edmonton city councillor has entered the race to be mayor. 

Michael Walters served two terms on city council from 2013 to 2021 and told CBC he is making the return to politics to "turn the page on some divisiveness." 

"It's important for us to move past some of those divisions," Walters said, who has left his position at communication agency Berlin to run for mayor. 

"It's important to us to think bigger about the quality of relationships we can have with all kinds of partners. We really need an all-hands-on-deck approach, a unified city in the next four years, and I look forward to leading us there." 

Walters said he stepped away a few years ago to be more involved with his family. 

Now, he says he is campaigning for mayor at a time when many major cities are still recovering from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"Affordability, more housing, fairer taxes, safety and compassion, more partnerships with the province and the police, building a successful city where we do our basic responsibilities well," Walters said. 

Infill has been a point of contention on council recently, and Walters said he is in favour of the city having more density.

"I was a big infill advocate in my time on council, I wanted the city to be more compact and more affordable," Walters said. 

"The housing supply issue is important to address, and I'm a firm believer in increased density in mature neighbourhoods, for sure, but yet you have to work with people." 

After several days of debate, Edmonton's city council voted on July 9 to maintain the cap on mid-block infill units to the original maximum of eight instead of a reduction to six units.

Walters says that decision was a missed opportunity for a show of good faith to those in mature neighbourhoods struggling with development changes. 

Ward pihesiwin Coun.Tim Cartmell, who was away for that vote, said on social media that he was unable to attend due to a scheduled holiday and lack of Internet access. He apologized for missing the vote and noted he would have supported the reduction. 

When asked about Walter's enter into the fray, Cartmell, who is also running for mayor, said in an interview it would be neither an advantage or disadvantage to not have been part of council this past term. 

"Whether you were on council yesterday or four years ago, that doesn't change the fact that you've supported the things that have us in trouble. And I think that's more the differentiating element here," he said in an interview with CBC News. 

Social inequities 

Walters previously worked as a community organizer at the Bissell Centre and received the Queen's Jubilee medal in 2000 for his work. 

"I think we need to be more collaborative when it comes to our homelessness circumstance in downtown Edmonton as an example and all over Edmonton." 

Other mayoral candidates who have announced their intent to run or completed the nomination process include current Coun. Andrew Knack, Tony Caterina a former city councillor, and former Conservative MP Rahim Jaffer. 

Other contenders include pediatric surgeon Omar Mohammad, engineer Malik Chukwudi, and business consultant Vanessa Denman.

The municipal election is on October 20.