Former MLA set to run for council
Linda Johnson planning run in Ward 11
A former PC MLA who narrowly lost her southwest Calgary riding in the 2015 provincial election purging of the Progressive Conservative dynasty now has her sights firmly set on securing a seat on city council in the fall election.
Linda Johnson, who served one term as MLA for CalgaryGlenmore, recently registered with the city’s election office and said she plans to run in Ward 11.
In February, incumbent Brian Pincott announced he would not seek re-election after serving three terms on council.
Pincott’s decision triggered an outpouring of encouragement for her to run for council, said Johnson — support she now hopes translates into boots on the ground and cash in the bank as she cobbles together a campaign team before her official launch in June.
“It’s been a process to decide where and when to run again, and the opportunity is in front of me now,” she said in an interview.
Johnson was elected to the Alberta Legislature in the 2012 provincial election, garnering 49 per cent support in Calgary-Glenmore and ousting Wildrose incumbent Paul Hinman.
She lost the seat three years later by just six votes in an election that saw the NDP end the Tory winning streak in stunning fashion.
“A number of residents at that time said, ‘Linda, please consider running for city council.’ You spend the first six months grieving what had happened and figuring out the lessons that you’ve learned from that whole election process,” she said.
The 58-year-old, now a partner with Strategy Portal Inc. along with longtime Tory operative Susan Elliot, previously worked as an assistant to former Calgary Centre MP Harvie Andre and as a constituency assistant to former Calgary West MP Jim Hawkes.
“I’ll never be done with provincial politics, and I still have my membership in the PC Party of Alberta,” Johnson said. “It’s a question of timing and where I am with my personal life and also the residents.
“I’ve heard a lot of feedback from residents about their particular issues, and for me, they come back to our whole consultation process, how does the city engage with residents when change is coming ... and how does the city communicate with the residents as projects are unfolding.”
The 2017 civic election is set for Oct. 16. At least three other Calgarians have declared their intentions to run in Ward 11, including former Manning Foundation researcher Jeromy Farkas, Janet Eremenko, an engagement specialist with Vibrant Communities Calgary, and Acadia Community Association president Keith Simmons.