Tim Cartmell kicks off mayoral run with pledge to ‘fix what’s broken’ in Edmonton

With about six months to go before the next municipal election, mayoral hopeful Tim Cartmell officially launched his campaign Thursday, promising to build bridges, literally and figuratively, for a city he says has “drifted into big spending with little value.”

In a packed convention room where some 600 Edmontonians and Albertans had lunch while listening to Cartmell speak, the applause swelled as the current city councillor walked on stage to deliver a speech that focused squarely on rebuilding Edmonton’s infrastructure and restoring trust in city leadership.

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“We have bridge problems to talk about,” Cartmell said, drawing on his background as a professional engineer and a small business owner. “We need to build — bridges, transit, parks, community hubs — but we need to do it in a way that’s smart, affordable, and sustainable.”

Citing widespread frustration with tax dollars going to waste, inflated budgets and missed deadlines, Cartmell promised to take a pragmatic, back-to-basics approach to governance, a leadership that is “rooted in experience, integrity and common sense,” saying city hall needs to prioritize the same thing every Edmontonian sitting around their kitchen table prioritizes —groceries, mortgages and childcare.

On what he sees as Edmonton’s most urgent infrastructure priority, Cartmell pointed to the projects already underway.

“The most important ones are the ones that are in progress. It’s going to be our bridges,” he said, warning that several major crossings will soon need replacement.

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With Edmonton’s population growing by about 40,000 people per year, simply rebuilding existing structures won’t be enough.

“We’re going to need a bridge plan, and it’s not a modest concern.”

He said that building strong relationships with the province will be key to financing those efforts, especially if plans for rail connectivity from the airport, which includes new bridge infrastructure, move forward.

While he acknowledged past missteps — including approving two major recreation centre projects without fully accounting for inflation or supply chain delays — Cartmell says he’s learned from those experiences.

“I’d like those back,” he said. “Some of us felt an urgency to get moving on the recreation master plan and build a couple more facilities, and didn’t look long enough at the effects of COVID on supply chains and inflation and all that kind of things.”

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‘A team that will get stuff done’

In addition to announcing his candidacy, Cartmell outlined a six-month campaign strategy built around assembling a council team aligned with his vision, what he called “a consistent voice for change.”

He drew a hockey analogy that landed with laughter among the crowd, many of whom seemed eager for a playoff win as much as a political shake-up.

“You can’t win a hockey game with one player,” Cartmell said. “I am just one vote on city council. But my team will be a consistent voice for change, a team that will get (stuff) done.”

Cartmell said his team, Better Edmonton, will help bring a unified direction to council, which he believes has been missing.

“We don’t have a consistent message from all of city council to instruct senior leaders,” he said. “So, I am building a team. A team that will spend the next six months learning from each other. Sharing our values. Working together on common commitments.”

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To underscore that commitment, Cartmell announced the formation of a blue-ribbon panel that would begin working immediately on a comprehensive review of the city’s finances. Composed of experts across sectors, including business, labour, arts, non-profits, and community advocacy, among others, the panel’s mandate will be to ensure tax dollars are being spent strategically.

“First on their list will be addressing the serious flaws in how Edmonton calculates and applies property taxes, because right now, the system is undermining our ability to grow,” he said, noting the city has “some of the highest property taxes in the country.”

“That’s not just a statistic, it’s a warning sign for investment.”

100 days of action

If elected, Cartmell pledged to kick off his first term with a 100-day action plan, prioritizing basic services like public safety, cleanliness and snow removal. He said he’d hold daily meetings with senior city leaders, conduct a review of road construction plans, and launch a public dashboard for transparency.

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Cartmell acknowledged that crime statistics may be improving in some areas but argued that the public perception of safety is still deteriorating.

“I’ve spoken to parents who won’t let their kids take the LRT to school,” he said. “I’ve spoken to seniors who feel anxious walking to the store. I’ve talked to business owners who arrive at work every morning to clean up needles and broken glass before they can unlock the front door.”

To address these concerns, he promised to roll out a safe streets strategy, strengthen bylaw enforcement, work with frontline police officers, and advocate for clear standards around vacant properties.

Cartmell also addressed housing and infill, emphasizing the need for a more balanced, context-sensitive approach to development. While “we need to fill in our empty spaces,” he said current policies have created tension in mature neighborhoods and need to evolve.

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“There’s a need to modify it for context there — not kill it, not get rid of it — but modify it for the context of the neighbourhood, of where it’s happening,” he said.

He said it’s important for deliberate planning both within the core and at the city’s edges, warning that restricting suburban growth entirely could drive development just outside city limits, leaving Edmonton to shoulder the infrastructure burden without the tax base.

Rebuilding trust means ensuring residents have a say in how the city spends money on major initiatives, like bridge replacements, infill housing, or transit improvements, Cartmell said.

“That’s something that’s actually been missing lately,” he said. “We need to do engagement where we are more sincerely interested in what people want to see in their neighbourhoods.”

He added that the tone of public consultations must shift from “‘what’s the matter with you’ to ‘what matters to you,’” by breaking down complex planning decisions into tangible questions about how developments look and feel at the end of the block for the people who live there.

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Personal roots

Cartmell also took time to reflect on his deep roots in the city — his family has called Edmonton home for four generations. He spoke of his great-grandfather helping to establish the Edmonton Museum of Art, his grandfather returning from war to work as a carpenter, and his own experience raising a family and running a business in the city.

“This city gave my family everything,” he said. “And now, it’s time to give back.”

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