Surrounded by media in front of city hall yesterday, Calgary’s new mayor Naheed Nenshi started things off with a question.
“So how many of you know that a media scrum is a purely Canadian, slightly British invention?” Nenshi asked reporters. “I just learned that. See, I’m learning things every day, and I hope to continue to learn things.”
While there may be a steep learning curve for the new head of Calgary, Nenshi said he hopes to begin instilling his vision for the city as soon as possible.
Nenshi said he’s already begun to build a relationship with the province.
“The first person I talked to when I stepped off the podium yesterday was Premier Stelmach — who called me. He said he has a soft-spot for third-place underdogs,” explained Nenshi.
“He asked if we could meet when he was in town later this week, and you know, I’m crazy busy but I think I can find time for the Premier,” he joked, “I really look forward to having that conversation with him.”
In addition to speaking with the premier, Nenshi said he had another call yesterday.
“I had a great conversation with Alderman McIver today. He has pledged his help and his assistance moving forward and he suggested we meet to have a really nice, long lunch and I look forward to doing that very soon.”
Next on his list is getting to know his fellow colleagues on council.
“I’m really excited precisely because this new council has an extremely broad range of perspectives on it,” he said. “It means that this council is reflecting the community.”
Nenshi said it’s time to change how city hall functions. “At this point, it’s time to roll up our sleeves and start some of the hard work,” he said.
“I hear it … people are talking about government and the force that government can be in their lives, and we have to make sure that we continue to capture that.”
