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Calgary’s first Muslim mayor wins re-election
Calgary’s first Muslim mayor wins re-election
Reuters/Calgary, Alberta
Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who three years ago became the first Muslim elected to the office in a major North American city, easily won re-election on Monday after a first term dominated by a stellar performance during devastating floods. |
Nenshi, 41-year-old Harvard graduate and former McKinsey & Co consultant, won a national profile for his response to the floods that swamped large parts of the city of 1.1mn in Canada’s costliest natural disaster.
He won 74% of the vote against eight opponents, including a former provincial cabinet minister, a marijuana advocate and an anti-abortion activist.
“Calgarians have spoken loud and clear,” the Calgary Herald quoted Nenshi as saying. “They’ve spoken loud and clear about the kind of community they want. A community of great, livable, walkable neighbourhoods everywhere ... not a community of never-ending sprawl.”
Nenshi, a left-leaning leader in a province known for its conservative bent, was a ubiquitous presence during the floods that shuttered downtown Calgary for nearly a week in June.
He led round-the-clock media briefings, warned about safety and posted a relentless string of Twitter updates, spawning the Twitter tag #nap4nenshi and pictures of “Supernenshi,” with his chubby face Photoshopped onto a picture of Superman.
“Everybody asks me the question about how much sleep I have had, which means I must look terrible,” Nenshi said at the time.