The Toughest Decision I’ve Ever Made

September 9th, 2024

Today, I’m making one of the toughest decisions I’m ever going to make: I have decided not to seek re-election as a City Councillor on Edmonton City Council.

The main reason that this decision is so challenging is because almost 11 years in, I continue to love every day of my service to Edmontonians. This is truly my dream job and the choice to give up this dream is not done easily.

I’ve made this decision because I know it’s time for new representation within the ward I represent. We’ve had a lot of success advancing many important projects and policies but some of the most complex issues we are dealing with today require a different approach. This city, my home, is full of incredible people who are always ready and willing to help one another and I know some of those people are what is needed to help make our city an even better place than it is today.

We are a city full of creativity and compassion. We support each other through tough times and we come together to celebrate our successes. I’ve had the privilege of seeing that every day for the last 11 years. It’s inspiring and it’s what will continue to drive me long after my time in this role is complete.

As there is still a year before the next election, my work will not stop. We have many important issues to deal with and even if we can’t solve every complex issue in that time, we have to try. That includes making meaningful progress on working with the provincial government on housing and homelessness, trying to keep up as best we can with the most rapid population growth in our city’s history, managing the budgetary pressures of that rapid growth, and many other issues. I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues on these important issues over the next year.

While this post is not going to be the one where I thank everyone who has been a part of my journey since 2007, I want to close this post with a few quick thank yous with many more to come over the next year.

First, I want to thank my family who have been incredibly supportive every step of the way.

I want to thank my colleagues who I have served with over the past three terms for sharing their wisdom and guidance.In particular to my current colleagues, I mean it when I say that I have learned more in the last 3 years than I did in my first 8 years. I never would have expected that when I started this term but I’m beyond fortunate to have the ability to learn from each of them every day.

To the team that I have worked with since I first started, thank you. The team that works in the Council offices is vital to addressing the concerns that residents bring forward. Without them, it would be impossible to try and help every person who contacts us.

To the tens of thousands of people who work with the City of Edmonton as an organization, thank you for your dedication and passion to serve Edmontonians as it’s your work that makes our city a better place.

My final quick thank you is to all Edmontonians. You first gave me the opportunity to serve back in 2013 and were kind enough to let me continue serving in 2017 and again in 2021. I would not have had this opportunity without your support. Connecting with you every day is what gives me so much hope for the future of our city.

Again, I’ll have a lot more to say over the next 13 months but by announcing this news today, I hope this provides enough time for some of the many incredible Edmontonians to put their names forward to help serve the residents of Ward Nakota Isga and all Edmontonians.

Serving you has been the greatest honour of my life and I look forward to seeing what is next in our wonderful city.

Sincerely,

Andrew Knack