"We're in the race for mayor!"

Actually, the "we" in question is in fact a he. And he, is Naheed Nenshi. After months of speculation, the Mount Royal University associate business professor, Calgary Herald columnist (on leave whilst he runs), and city hall critic/activist, Nenshi is now, officially, the seventh candidate to enter the mayoral race.

"I’m thrilled to announce today that I’m running for Mayor of Calgary," Nenshi writes on his website, before launching into an alphabet soup campaign platform:

" ...change is as easy as A, B, C … and D.

• A is for Accountability.  For too long, this Council has operated in the dark. Did you know that Council doesn’t even keep track of council members’ voting records? We’ve got to change that and make sure that Council’s work is open to all citizens. An important first step in this is to clean up the system of campaign finance, and I intend to lead by example in this campaign.
• B is for Better Management.  Let’s think about the recently-released auditor’s report. While people have been focused on the potential allegations of fraud, no one – and no candidate for mayor – has talked about the main part of the report – we spend $1.5 billion dollars a year with very little oversight. It’s like we’re using 1950’s management systems in 2010.
• C is for Congestion.  We all know that our transportation system doesn’t work. The buses are packed, the trains are over-flowing and our roads are clogged with snow. Even better, the incompetence shown on the Airport Trail tunnel has served to cut off east Calgary from the Airport and ensure that connecting the LRT, if it ever happens, will be pricey and won’t serve the majority of people that work there. We need a whole new way of thinking about mobility in this city, including transit and smart investments in our road network, as well as infrastructure for alternative transport modes.
• D is for Dollars.  We know that the city isn’t spending our money correctly. Calgarians no longer see the relationship between the taxes that we pay and the services that we get. Ridiculous moves like charging a mandatory “user fee” for garbage collection just makes people feel like they’re being nickled and dimed to death.

In 2004, Nenshi ran for alderman in Ward 3, placing fourth out of 11 candidates. He's also the man behind the Better Calgary Campaign, a non-profit, citizen-led group aimed at "improving municipal government," and has been one of the leading voices calling for sustantial changes to Calgary's Wild West campaign rules (or lack thereof).

Other declared mayoral candidates for Calgary include aldermen Ric McIver and Joe Connelly, former alderman and MLA Jon Lord, Liberal MLA Kent Hehr and activist Paul Hughes.

Ald. Bob Hawkesworth is expected to offically enter the race this coming Monday at "Bob's Big Announcement."