Photo of Naheed Nenshi on the Facebook page to draft him for mayor
By Markham Hislop, editor

In the wake of Mayor Dave Bronconnier’s decision not to run again, Calgarians are taking to social media in hopes of drafting mayoral candidates for the upcoming civic election in October.  Thus far, there are three Facebook pages dedicated to Calgary mayoral candidates, all of them prominent political figures. 

Rumors have been swirling around Ward 12 alderman Ric McIver for months.  The avowedly conservative Council member has strong ties to the local Progressive Conservative political machine and was thought by many to have a good chance of unseating Bronconnier in a two-horse race.

McIver says he considers the Facebook page a compliment and will take it into consideration when making the final decision to throw his hat in the ring. 

“There’s never just one consideration, there will be many things weighed, including social media,” he said.  “I try to stay in touch with people.  I consider it (social media) a necessity.”

As of Tuesday morning the Draft Ric McIver for Mayor Facebook page had 198 fans.  One of those is Justin Wong, a local painting contractor.  He thinks social media will pay an important role in McIver’s campaign.

“I think it’s one of many avenues he’ll look at.  Most politicians are looking for feedback. Facebook is just a new medium to get it from,” said Wong.  “Social media, love it or hate it, is now the accepted norm for how people get their information. It’s fast, free and usually more diverse than traditional media. It also forces candidates to engage the voters more than traditional media making for a more dynamic election.”

Ward 9 alderman Joe Ceci is one of the 531 fans on the Draft Naheed Nenshi for Mayor Facebook page.  Nenshi is a well-known Mount Royal University professor, columnist and consultant. 

“There wasn’t a lot of contemplation put into it,” Ceci said.  “I like Naheed and the issues he raises are great.”

Ceci publicly supported Bev Longstaff in her 2001 mayor campaign and he says with a chuckle that the experience taught him a few lessons about how the successful candidate feels when you’ve backed an opponent.  Nevertheless, he is looking for a mayoral candidate with progressive political views.

“I don’t think there will be any question I’ll be throwing my support behind a progressive candidate like Naheed,” Ceci said.

The candidate himself hasn’t ruled out a run for the mayor’s chair.  “I’m more interested in having a good mayor than being mayor,” he told the Beacon, but if such a candidate does not appear then Nenshi says he is seriously thinking about joining the fray.

He does caution that “Facebook is not an election.”  The attention is flattering, he says, but the Facebook campaign to draft him as a candidate will be only one of many criteria influencing his decision.

Social media will have a profound effect on October’s election, though, he said.  He points to Obama’s innovative use of social media as the tipping point for the technology, which he believes can be used to actively engage a sometimes apathetic electorate.  The key is to do it right.

Nenshi points to his potential rival McIver as someone who he claims “uses Twitter as a media release” system.  The goal should be to connect in a meaningful way with voters, which he says will make for better candidates.

“If they can use it to hold two-way conversations with the community they create, I think it can by very useful,” he said.

The third subject of a Facebook page is Craig Chandler, executive director of the Progressive Group for Independent Business and a household name among Calgary social conservatives.  He says he is definitely not running for mayor (or alderman) in October, which is why his Facebook page only has nine fans. 

“I told everyone I’m not running for mayor.  If I was running for mayor I’d be pushing pretty hard to drive up those numbers,”

Instead, Chandler plans to back several candidates for alderman and work on their campaigns.  He says City Council needs more conservatives sitting as alderman.  Chandler says he plans to support McIver for mayor, though he has no plans to work directly on his campaign.

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