Former Ward 11 councillor to seek NDP nod in city riding
Pincott targets Calgary-Acadia seat currently held by outgoing MLA Payne
Brian Pincott’s time away from the political arena will be short-lived, if he has his way.
Pincott, former city councillor for Ward 11, announced Thursday that he’s seeking the NDP nomination for Calgary-Acadia in next year’s provincial election.
“My vision for the city remains what it was when I was on council — a city that works for everybody,” Pincott told Postmedia. “And that means in economy, it means access to services, it means housing, all those things.”
In 2017, Pincott announced he would not run in the Calgary municipal election after a decade on city council. During his time on council, Pincott was an advocate for mental health, affordable housing and the arts.
Pincott said his values align with those of Premier Rachel Notley and the NDP.
“I didn’t set out to do this, but when I was looking at what Rachel and her team have accomplished over the past three and a half years ... I thought, ‘You know what, I think I can contribute to this and I want to be a part of this.’ ”
The seat in Calgary-Acadia is currently held by Brandy Payne, the former associate health minister, who said in March she wouldn’t be seeking re-election to spend more time with her family.
Even though he will be running in a riding held by the NDP, Pincott said he expects a hard-fought campaign.
“I think now, in this election, everybody is going to have to be out working hard and actually talking about the issues and the policies and the vision,” he said.
Pincott was first elected to Calgary city council in 2007 with barely one-third support, after longtime alderman Barry Erskine unexpectedly retired. Pincott held onto his Ward 11 seat following tight races in 2010 and 2013.
During his decade on council, Pincott worked on hot-button issues in his ward, including a methadone clinic that moved into Braeside and the southwest bus rapid transit project.
He previously ran two unsuccessful campaigns for the federal New Democratic Party, and for Calgary city council in Ward 14.
Coun. Jeromy Farkas won Pincott’s former seat in the 2017 Calgary municipal election.