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Two-term Edmonton city councillor Andrew Knack will be running for re-election in the west end.
Serving as the councillor for Ward 1 since 2013, Knack announced Thursday he will be seeking to represent the new ward of Nakota Isga in the October election, which encompasses the majority of the neighbourhoods in his current ward.
Knack said he thought about a run at the mayor’s chair, but he felt confident in the values of a few of the candidates who have already put their name in the race or are planning a run. He felt it would be better for him to run again as a veteran councillor.
“Having people with experienced voices, having people who have the ability and have shown the ability to build consensus, I think is going to be very critical coming out of this pandemic and how we respond,” Knack said in an interview with Postmedia. “I have had enough conversations to feel confident that the things that are most important to me are going to be actively discussed throughout the (mayoral) campaign … and therefore I feel it’s important for me to step aside in running for that role.”
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Knack is the second candidate to declare in Ward Nakota Isga, joining Steve Weston in the race. There are currently 42 registered candidates across the 12 wards and six people vying for the open mayor’s seat after Mayor Don Iveson announced he is not running again.
Exactly seven months out from the election, nominations will continue to be accepted until Sept. 20 but campaign donations aren’t allowed until a candidate is officially registered.
Ward 8 Coun. Ben Henderson is the only sitting councillor yet to formally declare his intentions for the October election. Councillors Scott McKeen and Michael Walters won’t be running for re-election and three-term councillor Mike Nickel will be running for mayor. All other councillors said they will be running again.
Mayoral candidates Kim Krushell and Michael Oshry join Nickel in having council experience. Krushell served three terms as Ward 2 councillor from 2004 to 2013 and Oshry was councillor of Ward 5 from 2013 to 2017. Cheryll Watson, Diana Steele and Brian Gregg are also running for the position. Former city councillor and federal cabinet minister Amarjeet Sohi previously told Postmedia he was mulling a run for mayor, but hasn’t made a final decision.
Edmontonians will head to the polls on Oct. 18.