Elections Calgary has completed a recount of ballots in the city’s recent mayoral election and has confirmed that independent candidate Jeromy Farkas will be the city’s new mayor.
The recount, which was conducted on Oct. 27, was requested by Communities First mayoral candidate Sonya Sharp, who was runner-up in the Oct. 20 election, finishing 581 votes behind Farkas, according to the official results.
However, the results of the recount have widened Farkas’ margin of victory slightly, showing him defeating Sharp by 616 votes.
Elections Calgary says there was a total of 348,865 votes cast for the eight candidates running in the mayoral election, with Farkas getting 91,112 votes and Sharp receiving 90,496.
“It’s clear that Jeromy Farkas did win,” said Lori Williams, an associate professor of policy studies at Mount Royal University.
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“Although the margin, in terms of total number of votes cast, is small, it’s a clear victory and that’s an important thing to confirm.”
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In a statement following the recount, Farkas expressed his thanks to Elections Calgary and the volunteers who oversaw the recount, which he called an “important feature of our democratic process.”
“A special thank you to the team who supported me throughout the campaign and now throughout this recount,” the mayor-elect said in his statement.
“The past week has been filled with the work of building a strong City Council team to get things done for Calgarians.”
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He said he also reached out to Coun. Sharp to congratulate her and her team on running a strong campaign.
“I expressed my hope that Calgarians will continue to benefit from her commitment to public service,” said Farkas.
Sharp’s campaign has yet to address the results of the recount, but noted a response is expected on Wednesday.
The updated results show Farkas was elected to be Calgary’s 38th mayor with 26.1 per cent of the vote in an election where just 39.04 per cent of eligible voters cast a ballot.
“He was chosen by a little more than 10 per cent of the eligible voters in Calgary and he’s got work to do to reach out to those who didn’t vote for him,” Williams said.
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“He’s really got to focus on messaging and connecting with the concerns that have animated voters, including those who didn’t vote in this last election.”
Farkas and the other members of Calgary’s newly-elected city council will be officially sworn in at a ceremony on Oct. 29 at 6 p.m. in council chambers.
The 14-member council will include four incumbents, along with 10 political newcomers.
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