Jeromy Farkas

His Worship
Jeromy Farkas
38th Mayor of Calgary
Incumbent
Assumed office
October 29, 2025[1]
Preceded byJyoti Gondek
Calgary City Councillor
In office
October 23, 2017 – October 25, 2021
Preceded byBrian Pincott
Succeeded byKourtney Penner
ConstituencyWard 11
Personal details
Born1985 or 1986 (age 39–40)
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
PartyIndependent (municipal)
Other political
affiliations
Conservative (federal)[2]
Independent (provincial)[3]
Wildrose (provincial; until 2017)[4]
Alma materUniversity of Calgary
WebsiteOfficial website

Jeromy Farkas (born 1986) is a Canadian non-profit executive and politician who has served as the mayor of Calgary since 2025. He had a four-year term as City Councillor on Calgary City Council from 2017–2021.[5]

Described as socially liberal and fiscally conservative,[6] he ran as a candidate for mayor in the 2021 municipal election,[5] placing second to Jyoti Gondek.[7]

In 2022, he completed a 168-day journey of the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada in support of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Calgary and Area. After returning home in 2023, he was CEO of the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation.[8]

Farkas again ran for mayor in the 2025 municipal election, that time successfully placing first ahead of City Councillor Sonya Sharp and incumbent Mayor Jyoti Gondek.

Early life and education

Farkas was born in 1986[9] and raised by Hungarian immigrants in the southeast Calgary neighbourhood of Dover. His parents had fled Hungary in 1956, in the wake of the Hungarian Uprising of 1956.[10]

After graduating from Calgary's Bishop Carroll High School, Farkas attended the University of Calgary and graduated with a bachelor of arts in political science. Farkas worked as the Executive Administrator for the Israel Studies Program and as a Research Team Lead in the Faculty of Medicine during university.[11]

In 2015, Farkas' team earned first place in the City of Calgary Hackathon, a three-day contest in programming, business modeling and research to create technology-based solutions to improve the lives of Calgarians. Prior to entering politics, he was a regular Calgary Herald columnist writing about local municipal issues, particularly city council.

Prior to declaring his candidacy for Ward 11, Farkas worked as a senior fellow specializing in municipal governance at the conservative Manning Foundation for Democratic Education from February 2013 to January 2016.[12][13]

Political career

City Councillor (2017–2021)

Farkas declined the pension that the mayor and councillors receive. He also declined the transition allowance afforded to him,[14] at an approximate personal cost of $290,000.[15]

As a City Councillor, Farkas held regular constituency events on current issues such as snow clearing, exploring a 2026 Calgary Olympic Bid[16] and the proposed 2019 arena deal.[17] He engaged in Council debate on issues such as Midfield trailer park's closure,[18] council compensation,[19] the Calgary Green Line, the City of Calgary summer student hiring program, business taxes,[20] council time spent in closed-door meetings, crime and safety, the failed 2026 Calgary Olympic Bid, and the arena deal.[21]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, a municipal by-law was proposed for proof of COVID vaccinations for certain types of business. Farkas was the only member of council to vote against this by-law, citing concerns about legal jurisdiction and stating "we need to work with the province to fix the current system, rather than increase confusion for citizens and businesses who are already struggling to comply."[22]

2021 mayoral campaign

On September 16, 2020, Farkas announced his candidacy for mayor in the 2021 Calgary municipal election.[5]

Farkas' ten-point platform included a four-year property tax freeze, support for the Calgary Police Service,[23][24] reform to the Council pension plan, support for single-family neighbourhood zoning, improvements to traffic-light synchronization, reduction of Council time spent behind closed doors, the construction of a rail connection between the inner-city and Calgary International Airport, improved snow removal, opposition to selling city parks, and reduction of business red tape.[25]

On October 18, 2021, Farkas placed second to Ward 3 councillor Jyoti Gondek.[26]

Glenbow Ranch (2023–2025)

In October 2023, Farkas was named as CEO of the Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation.[27] Referring to Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park, Farkas stated "after losing the 2021 election, I felt lost in more ways than one. I found purpose, meaning, and belonging in the vastness of Alberta’s rolling hills, grasslands, and mountains."

The provincial government soon conducted a feasibility study into options for a reservoir along the Bow River, to help protect Calgary and communities downstream from flooding and to help surround areas in case of drought.[28] One of those options would have resulted in significant negative impacts and flood damage to Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park and the Town of Cochrane.[29] Over the course of 2024, Farkas mounted a successful advocacy campaign to save the park, and is credited by media as "playing a major role"[30] and "leading the charge"[31] in negotiating an alternative outcome with the provincial government.

In May 2025, Farkas resigned the position to begin a full-time campaign for mayor of Calgary. At the time, Cochrane Mayor Jeff Genung and Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation board chair Georg Paffrath praised Farkas' leadership, the latter stating "one of the first things he did was really look at the team underneath him and gave them the type of leadership they were looking for, and made them better employees."[32]

Mayor (2025–present)

On February 26, 2025, Farkas announced his candidacy for mayor in the 2025 Calgary municipal election, as an independent. Farkas narrowly defeated Communities First candidate Sonya Sharp and incumbent Jyoti Gondek, with under 1,000 votes separating Farkas and Sharp.[33]

During his first year in office, Farkas made the accelerated replacement of Calgary's Bearspaw South Feeder Main a priority following the city's 2024 water main failure. Under his tenure, The City of Calgary advanced construction on a replacement feeder main and associated reliability upgrades, with completion targeted for late 2026.[34]

In 2026, Farkas supported the repeal of pro-housing legislation which made it easier to build housing in Calgary. Farkas said, "Many Calgarians felt, with the previous decision to adopt blanket rezoning, that it had created uncertainty and it really broke the trust in the planning process."[35]

During the 2026 Alberta separatism debate, Farkas emerged as one of the province's most prominent municipal opponents of secession. He argued that uncertainty surrounding separation would discourage investment, reduce business confidence, and harm Calgary's economy, while describing Calgary as an integral part of Canada.[36]

Mayoral approval ratings

Public opinion polling during Farkas's first year in office indicated high approval ratings among Calgary residents. A Probe Research poll published by CityNews Calgary in May 2026 found that 80 per cent of respondents approved of Farkas's performance as mayor, six months into his first term, while nearly 60 per cent said Calgary was moving in the right direction.[37]

Personal life

He is openly bisexual, making him Calgary's first openly LGBTQ male mayor and city councillor,[38] and played a key role in pushing the Wildrose Party to adopt a more progressive position on LGBTQ issues.[39] Following his 2021 mayoral loss, he completed a 168 day, 4,260-kilometre journey of the Pacific Crest Trail in support of Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Calgary and Area, raising more than $250,000 as part of that organization's biggest fundraiser in its history.[40]

Electoral record

2025 Calgary mayoral election
Party Candidate[41] Votes %
  Independent Jeromy Farkas 91,065 26.12
  Communities First Sonya Sharp 90,480 25.95
  Independent Jyoti Gondek 71,397 20.48
  Independent Jeff Davison 47,372 13.59
  The Calgary Party Brian Thiessen 40,519 11.62
  Independent Sarah Elder 3,511 1.01
  Independent Grant Prior 2,175 0.62
  Independent Larry R. Heather 1,202 0.34
  Independent Jaeger Gustafson 905 0.26
2021 Calgary mayoral election
Candidate Vote %
Jyoti Gondek176,34445.17
Jeromy Farkas116,69829.89
Jeff Davison50,65412.98
Brad Field19,3294.95
Jan Damery8,9352.29
Grace Yan2,7460.70
Zane Novak1,9910.51
Dean Hopkins1,8320.47
Kevin J. Johnston1,5650.40
Zaheed Ali Khan1,2470.32
Virginia Stone1,1720.30
Shaoli Wang1,0610.27
Ian Chiang9730.25
Teddy Ogbonna8620.22
Emile Gabriel6820.17
Zac Hartley5820.15
Sunny Singh5720.15
James Desautels5310.14
Mizanur Rahman4500.12
Larry Heather4290.11
Stan Waciak4230.11
Paul Michael Hallelujah3760.10
Adam Roberts3080.08
Will Vizor2040.05
Geoff Rainey1620.04
Randall Kaiser1370.04
Cory Lanterman1180.03
David Clark (Withdrawn)
Kent Hehr (Withdrawn)
Grant Prior (Withdrawn)
2017 Calgary municipal election — Ward 11
Candidate Votes %
Jeromy Farkas 13,170 38.38
Linda Johnson 7,588 22.12
Janet Eremenko 6,890 20.08
Robert Dickinson 4,446 12.96
Keith Simmons 2,214 6.45
Total 34,308 100

References

  1. ↑ Jason Markusoff (October 21, 2025). "Rookies, independents will dominate Calgary city council". CBC.
  2. ↑ Jeromy Farkas [@JeromyYYC] (2022-11-04). "Just had our second-last @CPC_HQ Calgary-Heritage board meeting w/ retiring MP @BobBenzen. Bob has built & grown a fantastic team ready to hit the ground running and hold the riding once our next #CPC candidate is nominated. Looking forward to the by-election in the spring!" (Tweet). Retrieved 2025-10-22 – via Twitter.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  3. ↑ Green, Arthur C. (2023-05-12). "Nenshi and Farkas team up on CBC for slam session on Smith". Western Standard. Archived from the original on 2025-11-20. Retrieved 2025-11-20.
  4. ↑ Hagenaars, Stephanie (2016-12-11). "Jeromy Farkas weighs in on why he left the Wildrose constituency to run for Calgary city council". Calgary Journal.
  5. 1 2 3 "Coun. Jeromy Farkas launches bid for mayor's seat in 2021 Calgary election | CBC News". CBC. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
  6. ↑ Potkins, Meghan (2021-09-08). "Left wing? Right wing? Mayoral frontrunners grapple with political labels". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on 2022-05-24. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  7. ↑ "Jyoti Gondek elected as Calgary's first female mayor". CTV News Calgary. CTV News. 18 October 2021. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  8. ↑ May, Howard (2024-12-26). "Biggest 2024 Cochrane story was the dam that won't be built". Cochrane Eagle. Archived from the original on 2025-02-06. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  9. ↑ Strasser, Scott (6 July 2026). "Fawning over Farkas? How Calgary's mayor won over the city's largest online community". Retrieved 12 July 2026.
  10. ↑ Ward 11. "About Councillor Jeromy Farkas". www.calgary.ca. Archived from the original on August 8, 2020. Retrieved 2021-04-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  11. ↑ Rieger, Sarah (2021-10-09). "Meet a candidate for mayor: Jeromy Farkas". CBC News. Retrieved 2021-10-11.
  12. ↑ "Think-tank's online tool tracks how councillors vote on spending". Calgary Herald. 2014-05-29. Archived from the original on 2025-10-22. Retrieved 2025-10-22.
  13. ↑ "Manning Centre Report on Calgary City Council - Taxes (3.2K views)". Scribd.
  14. ↑ "Jeromy supports ending mayor's double pensions". Jeromy Farkas. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  15. ↑ Ritchie, Josh (2021-10-20). "Farkas sticks to promise, declines pension, transition allowance". CityNews Calgary. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  16. ↑ "Snow clearing and Olympic bid dominate Farkas public forum". calgaryherald. Archived from the original on 2025-08-18. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  17. ↑ "Town hall attendees want their say before new arena deal". calgaryherald. Archived from the original on 2023-05-12. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  18. ↑ "Calgary councillor's proposal to revisit Midfield Park residents' compensation rejected - Calgary | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  19. ↑ "City CFO apologizes for 'confusion' on salary numbers; Farkas says he's 'validated'". calgaryherald. Archived from the original on 2025-08-25. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  20. ↑ "Farkas dismisses council's tax rescue plan as 'half-baked', says he'll introduce his own". calgaryherald. Archived from the original on 2025-08-18. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  21. ↑ "Coun. Jeromy Farkas asking residents to weigh in on new arena". calgaryherald. Archived from the original on 2025-08-25. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  22. ↑ Markus, Jade (September 22, 2021). "Find out which Calgary businesses will require vaccine passports after bylaw OK'd by council". CBC News. Retrieved February 7, 2026.
  23. ↑ Villani, Mark (2020-11-02). "'I would rather be fired': Farkas' police commission tenure ends". Calgary. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  24. ↑ "Farkas launches petition urging Calgarians to defend our police". Jeromy Farkas. Archived from the original on December 2, 2020. Retrieved 2020-12-07.
  25. ↑ Farkas, Jeromy (2021-10-08). "Farkas: From snow clearing to taxes, my 10-point plan will bring about real change". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on 2021-10-26. Retrieved 2023-03-24.
  26. ↑ "Jyoti Gondek elected as Calgary's first female mayor". CTV News Calgary. CTV News. 18 October 2021. Archived from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved October 19, 2021.
  27. ↑ Krause, Darren (2023-10-25). "Jeromy Farkas named new CEO for Glenbow Ranch Park Foundation". LiveWire Calgary. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  28. ↑ "Glenbow Ranch Provincial Park at risk with reservoir option: Foundation CEO | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  29. ↑ ""We're just getting started," declares Farkas". CochraneNow. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  30. ↑ Krause, Darren (2024-09-25). "Advocacy 'saved the day' as Alberta selects Ghost Reservoir option on the Bow River". LiveWire Calgary. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  31. ↑ May, Howard (2024-12-26). "Biggest 2024 Cochrane story was the dam that won't be built". Cochrane Eagle. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  32. ↑ "Leadership praised as Farkas departs GRPF for Calgary mayoral run". CochraneNow. Retrieved 2026-02-07.
  33. ↑ Wood, Damien (2025-10-21). "Jeromy Farkas completes his journey, being unofficially elected as Calgary's new mayor". CTV News. Archived from the original on 2025-10-21. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
  34. ↑ Kanygin, Jordan (2026-01-23). "Calgary's fast-tracked water main replacement to be done in December". CTVNews. Retrieved 2026-01-24.
  35. ↑ Kanygin, Jordan (2026-04-09). "Calgary repeals blanket rezoning, considers replacement rules for housing". CTVNews.
  36. ↑ "Calgary mayor says he wants to hold advocacy campaign opposing separation, but can't | Globalnews.ca". Global News. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  37. ↑ Montgomery, Andrea (2026-05-27). "New poll shows strong early approval for Calgary's mayor, council". CityNews Calgary. Retrieved 2026-07-19.
  38. ↑ Farkas, Jeromy (2023-09-23). "Farkas: Hate against LGBTQ+ community puts kids' lives on the line". Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on 2024-02-02. Retrieved 2025-10-21.
  39. ↑ Woods, James (2016-06-03). "Local Wildrose official wants party to become champion of LGBTQ issues". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2025-10-22.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  40. ↑ Krause, Darren (2023-01-27). "Farkas Pacific Crest Trail finale screens at Calgary cinema". LiveWire Calgary. Retrieved 2025-10-20.
  41. ↑ "List of nominated (official) candidates & candidates elected by acclamation available for 2025 General Election". City of Calgary. 23 September 2025. Retrieved 25 September 2025.
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