Andrew Knack first ran for city council in 2007. He was just 23 years old at the time. He was elected to council for the first time in 2013, and has been there ever since.
Knack, who was named to the Top 40 Under 40 in 2023, felt that he wanted to run at such a young age because the City needed more youthful representation on council. It needed fresh blood.
And, he thinks it needs fresh blood once again, which is one of the reasons the Nakota Isga councillor will not stand for re-election in 2025.
“Council has to have fresh perspectives and a different approach,” he says.
But that doesn’t mean he’s done with politics — anything but. Over the past year, he’s been an outspoken critic of the provincial government’s plan to allow for political parties in the upcoming Calgary and Edmonton municipal elections.
He actually believes that, instead of bringing partisan politics to municipalities, that Canada needs to have less partisan politics at the federal and provincial levels. That’s why, when his time as a councillor ends, he’s considering a move to provincial politics.
“The idea of partisan politics is not at all exciting to me,” says Knack. “The system is broken and in need of an overhaul, both federally and provincially. We are not getting good governance.”
He said, as a non-affiliated city councillor, like many of his counterparts in Edmonton and in other municipalities, he listens to ideas from across the spectrum.
“I am genuinely interested in hearing those opinions,” he says.
He contrasts this with the United Conservative Party’s calls for public input, where he feels that only the opinions of UCP members matter.
“In the long term, we need to explore things in a different way. We have to engage with folks who are real critical of us. We have to find new ways to engage and new ways to reach people.”
The American presidential election will be conducted a few days after this issue comes out. There is such partisanship and ugliness between Republicans and Democrats, with no real third option, that debate has pretty well ceased to exist. Presidential debates have become nothing more than sideshows.
In Canada, we’re seeing political brinksmanship increase, and there is less room for compromise. The right is moving to the far right.
And, fixing it all isn’t going to be quick. Knack knows that “it will take a lot of time to effect that level of change.”
But, in recent visits to southern Alberta towns and counties, he saw that what they need isn’t that different than the big cities. They need to replace their fire trucks and fix their snowplows. They care about sidewalk repairs and utility lines. These are priorities that cross party lines.
And that’s what gives Knack hope. After all, he is a dreamer. And he lost two municipal elections before he finally got in. So, we won’t doubt his perseverance.
“Maybe it’ll crush my soul. But I am going to give it a try.”
This article appears in the Nov/Dec 2024 issue of Edify
