With the mayor taking an unpaid leave of absence to run for federal office in next month’s election, Edmonton City Council settled on a rotation of mayoral duties between them in his absence.
The pre-existing plan will see Coun. Karen Principe take on Mayor Amarjeet Sohi’s roles first during meetings and events, with other councillors to follow on a four-week rotation..
Sohi told media Monday he decided to run for the Liberal Party of Canada in the new federal riding of Edmonton Southeast because of the importance of the national election, which will see voters go to the polls on April 28.
“This federal election is the most consequential federal election that we are going to see in the history of our country,” Sohi said, adding the federal Liberals approached him about running. “Our sovereignty is under attack. Our workers, working families, businesses, our way of life is under attack.”
But Coun. Tim Cartmell, a mayoral candidate this fall who didn’t participate in the afternoon special council meeting because he has a conflict of interest, says Sohi should’ve simply resigned as mayor so city council can operate more efficiently in his absence.
“This is the second time that Edmonton has been Mayor Sohi’s second choice,” Cartmell said in a statement following Sohi’s announcement.
“Given that Mayor Sohi is no longer interested in City matters, the responsible decision would have been to resign. It would have allowed Edmonton City Council to take the necessary contingency actions and focus on the best needs of the City until the City election in October. Instead, we are in an odd state of limbo, waiting for the drama of federal politics to run its course.”
Sohi will resign as mayor if he wins in Edmonton Southeast, the mayor’s office said. If he loses, he will return to council until the municipal election but won’t seek re-election.
Cartmell told CTV News Edmonton on Monday that Sohi is taking an unnecessary risk that could affect city business, saying it depends on the outcome of the federal election at the end of April.
“If the mayor runs and is not successful, then continues as mayor and there’s a new Liberal government, there’s a little bit of connectivity, to be fair. There’s a little bit of connectivity for the last few months of this mandate,” Cartmell said.
“But if it’s the Conservative Party of Canada forming the next federal government, then there’s probably no conversation or relationship at all, at least until after the municipal election. And that’s a hell of a gamble, and I don’t think that’s a gamble that should be taken.”
Coun. Andrew Knack, who said in September he will not seek re-election in October’s municipal election but who mused Monday he’s reconsidering that decision, told CTV News Edmonton on Monday he doesn’t have a problem with Sohi’s five-week leave of absence as the process to cover it is in place and is adequate.
“I don’t have any concern,” Knack said. “Mayors have gone on vacation in the past. They have to go away on city business, and then the deputy comes in and fills that role.
“I always try to remind folks that we have 12 members of city council, 12 city councilors whose oath was to serve all Edmontonian, and not just the ward that we live in.”
Political scientist Chaldeans Mensah, a professor at Edmonton’s MacEwan University, said Monday that while Sohi has a sound chance at winning a federal seat, a loss would further complicate city matters.
“I think city politicians want a clean break so that they can get on with business because politics on the federal level are very volatile. You can never take anything for granted,” Mensah told CTV News Edmonton.
“Certainly the mayor is in a good position running for Edmonton Southeast, but if he fails, he conceivably could come back and complicate matters even more.”
Political analyst John Brennan said Sunday he believes Sohi is running for the Liberals because odds are he will have a more-difficult time being re-elected as mayor in October.
“I think what this tells us is that Amarjeet Sohi has made the calculation that he has a better chance of getting elected as a Liberal in southeast Edmonton in the upcoming federal election than he does running for mayor again against Tim Cartmell, who will be a very formidable opponent,” Brennan told CTV News Edmonton.
“I think he had to take this calculus into mind, and I think he made the decision (that if he’s) going to stay in public life ... as a politician, he has a better chance of serving if he goes back into federal politics, running in Edmonton Southeast.”
Sohi was elected mayor in 2021. Before that, he was an Edmonton councillor from 2007-15, and a Liberal MP in Edmonton Mill Woods and a cabinet minister under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, until he lost the seat in 2019.
On Sunday, Liberal Leader Mark Carney called an election for April 28.
The other candidates in Edmonton Southeast are Jagsharan Singh Mahal (Conservative), Harpreet Grewal (NDP), Carrie McLaren (Green) and Martin Schuetza (PPC).
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti
