Mayor’s ‘best friend’ Nkemdirim stepping down as chief of staff
Chima Nkemdirim has resigned as Mayor Naheed Nenshi’s chief of staff to pursue a new opportunity in the private sector.
Nkemdirim, a lawyer who ran Nenshi’s successful and surprising bid for mayor in 2010, has been by his side since, serving as the mayor’s chief of staff for more than seven years.
“I got to go to work every day with my best friend,” said Nenshi, who met his longtime pal when the pair were both students at the University of Calgary.
Nenshi acknowledged he has known about Nkemdirim’s departure for “a little while” and is sad to see him go in mid-January.
“It’s a tough job. It’s a relentless job. It’s seven days a week,” Nenshi told reporters.
“He really, not just redefined that role for the City of Calgary, but redefined what the role of a political chief of staff is. He’s made tremendous, tremendous contributions to this city and to the citizens of this city.”
While Nenshi didn’t detail what new “senior position” in the private sector Nkemdirim is taking, he confirmed Nkemdirim won’t be running for leadership of the Alberta Party, as some political watchers speculated.
Nenshi announced the news during Monday’s council meeting, the last before the new year, though Nkemdirim is on vacation and wasn’t present.
“This is my last opportunity at council to recognize the hard work of my chief of staff,” Nenshi said.