Meet the Calgary mayoral candidate: Jaeger Gustafson

Calgary’s municipal election is now less than a month away and nine people are vying for your vote for the mayor’s seat.

CTV News Calgary invited each of the mayoral candidates this year to answer the same three questions in three minutes or less.

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The video segment is posted in full above and the answers are transcribed below.

Jaeger Gustafson is a mayoral candidate running as an independent.

Why are you running for mayor?

Gustafson: “Calgary’s my home. Calgary has been my home for some time and my family’s. I choose to live here, and I want people to continue to choose to live here.

“My name is Jaeger Gustafson, and I’m running for mayor in Calgary.”

What’s the most important issue that needs to be addressed in the city in the next year?

Gustafson: “The biggest issue facing Calgarians every day is the economic uncertainty. Am I going to keep my job? Can I afford to keep my home? Can I afford to live? This is a question that no Calgarians should have to ask. And the biggest issue I noticed was a lack of leadership for the future. These problems are very difficult.

“City hall was run on budgets that were like projects; for four years, after four years, after four years. And as a business owner and not for profit founder myself, I understood we needed two things: We needed leadership that was willing to stay and we needed lower taxes.

“When it came to lower taxes, this is a very difficult thing. So we have to ensure, as we lower the taxes for homes and for businesses, that we have better quality services. And that starts at the top. That starts with your mayor, a mayor who’s willing to serve for four terms, a mayor who’s willing to represent you to have represented residents.

“That’s the job. Willing to have productive partnerships and willing to have well workers at the city of Calgary.”

Why should Calgarians vote for you?

Gustafson: “I’m not here to ask for people’s votes. The city takes care of the vote, but I’m here to take care of the people who do vote and to have a voice for everybody who lives in Calgary.

“Everyone needs to have a voice at city council. And I’m going to ensure that your councilors that you choose are engaged in your communities with assignments. Every single week we’ve got programing to make sure that your voice is going to be heard at city hall, every single day that we’re working.”