Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek running for re-election

Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek has announced she will run for re-election in the next municipal election in 2025.

In the announcement Friday, Gondek said she's been a "steadfast champion" for the city since being elected.

She also said she's learned a lot during her time in office.

"I’m prepared to tackle the important work that needs to be done, including improving communication between city hall and Calgarians, supporting those who need it most," she wrote in a statement.

Gondek was elected as Calgary's first female mayor on Oct. 18, 2021, after serving one term as Ward 3 councillor.

Prior to her time on city council, she served as a volunteer with the Northern Hills Community Association and a citizen member on multiple municipal committees.

During her time in office, Gondek helped the city broker a deal with the province and the Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation to build a new arena for the Calgary Flames and weathered the storm during the Bearspaw feeder main break earlier this year.

She also faced criticism during her first year in office, backlash over a controversial proposal to rezone many of Calgary's residential communities and the Smith government over multiple issues such as supervised consumption sites and the Green Line LRT project.

In her statement, Gondek said she's demonstrated "strong leadership" through those crises and wanted to announce her intention to return to office now to "end speculation."

"I've spoken with supporters across the city and will formally assemble a campaign team when the election period commences in the new year," she said.

Jeff Davison, the former councillor for Calgary's Ward 6, declared his intent to run for the mayor's chair in October.