Jeromy Farkas has been given the mayor-elect tag after Calgary’s 2025 municipal election, but the prospect of a recount remains.

Farkas met with the media on Tuesday afternoon, out in front of Calgary’s historic city hall, after beginning the transition and onboarding with City of Calgary administration.

This comes as there’s still an unofficial 585-vote gap between him and second-place candidate, Sonya Sharp. A recount can be requested within 72 hours of the official results being announced or posted. The official results are expected on Friday, Oct. 24.

“I sat down this morning with Chief Administrative Officer, David Duckworth. He’s begun the process of transition for our team,” Farkas said.

“So, we have been designated the mayor-elect. We’re continuing with that transition process, the onboarding just inside here, and we’re looking forward to the official recognition of the results.”

When contacted, the Sharp campaign said that they would be requesting a recount.

“Given the margin of victory for Mr. Farkas is only 585 votes, or 0.16%, I believe it is appropriate to request the Chief Returning Officer undertake a recount of the ballots to ensure the accuracy of the election outcome,” read a statement from Sonya Sharp.

“I am happy to accept the outcome of this review, win or lose, because the final word of our citizens is what matters most in local government.”

Sharp said that given long lines, new procedures and hand-counting of ballots into the early hours of the morning, it made sense to double check the results were accurate.

Mayor-elect Farkas said that though only around 10 per cent of eligible voters cast their ballot in his favour, he came with a simple message.

“I work for every single Calgarian. I put forward a plan in terms of public safety, in terms of affordability, and I have to work alongside the council that is chosen by Calgarians, and I’m able to do that because I ran as an independent, not beholden to a specific political party,” he said.

“I’m committed to working with this new council to listen genuinely to Calgarians and ensure that for the next four years they see their voices reflected in the decisions.”

Rookie-laden council to work with

Based on the latest ward-level election results, there will be 10 new city councillors in Calgary working with Farkas.

Farkas said he felt he could offer a lot to the incoming rookie councillors. He said that he has an advantage over the other incoming newbies as he did have previous city council experience, having been the councillor for Ward 11 from 2017 to 2021.

There are folks from all different walks of life who will be representing Calgarians, and he’s hoping to help them get the best out of the job.

“All of these are incredible leaders in their own right. They are the best candidates chosen by Calgarians from every single Ward, every single corner of the city,” Farkas said.

“I’m very committed as Calgary’s next mayor to take their ideas and champion them, to be able to support them, provide the mentorship.”

For him, the one big difference between being a former councillor and a now mayor, is that his mandate is one that’s citywide, not just ward specific. He said seeing all of the people who had supported him over the past 10 years filled his heart.

“I know that I’m at a point now that I wasn’t 10 years ago, in terms of being able to speak to a broad cross section of Calgarians, to be able to work with both left and right, progressives and conservatives to get things done,” he said.  

“That’s my commitment as Calgary’s next mayor, is to leave the ideology at the door and to focus on the results, particularly around safety and affordability and how we can continue to be the most welcoming city of Canada.”

Late on Tuesday afternoon, mayoral challenger Jeff Davison offered his congratulations to Farkas.

“I congratulate Calgary’s new Mayor-elect Jeromy Farkas, as well as thank Jyoti Gondek for her service to Calgarians,” he wrote in a media release.

“I also want to wish all the new councillors the very best. To all the candidates, campaign staff and volunteers – thank you for your tireless and hard-fought efforts. We all love Calgary, we just have a different vision for how we want to see our city grow and build.”