The Women of Calgary City Council: 1990s
The Women of Calgary City Council
1992
1992 brought another Council with six women, but with little change to the makeup of Council. In total, three new faces joined Council: Barry Erskine, Dave Bronconnier, and Joanne Kerr, who replaced Sharon Fisk on Council in Ward 2.
Joanne Kerr. Photo provided by The City of Calgary Archives.
Joanne Kerr is a lifelong Calgarian, born in 1953. A graduate of Ernest Manning High School, Kerr studied early childhood education at the University of Calgary but did not complete the degree due to a back injury by time she decided to run in Ward 2 in 1992. Refusing corporate donations, Kerr won a three-way race handily with 42 per cent of the vote, with incumbent Sharon Fisk placing third with only 16 per cent of the vote.
Kerr ran on solutions to a series of controversial issues facing Ward 2, including development around Dalhousie Station, a bankrupt recreation centre and developing dry ponds to mitigate flooding. True to her word, Kerr voted against the Dalhousie development plan proposed by Safeway to build a 189,000 square foot commercial space. The area was initially intended to be largely residential, transit-oriented development. Unfortunately for Kerr and the residents of Dalhousie that opposed the project, Council voted 8-7 in favour of the $50 million project in 1993. In 1994 she again went against Council in a series of contentious votes, voting in favour of reducing Aldermen salaries and voting “no” on public funds being used to renovate the Saddledome. Kerr’s first term on Council showed she was serious as Alderman in representing the residents of Ward 2 over business interests. She was so popular in Ward 2 that she was acclaimed in the 1995 election, meaning no one ran against her. She ensured she would work to solve the growing traffic problems facing her Ward as Calgary grew outwards.
One-third of the way into her term, Yvonne Fritz decided to join two other Aldermen in leaving Council to run provincially—Richard Magnus and John Schmal, each under the Progressive Conservative banner. Herald columnist Don Martin, ever the fan of Calgary’s Council, used his March 17, 1993 column to accuse the three of leaving for a bigger paycheque and less responsibility. Of Fritz, Martin suggests that she “really, truly, sincerely believes she can trade 62,000 Ward 5 residents for 42,000 Calgary Cross residents and have an impact on Alberta politics from a position high in the government or opposition backbenches.” He further went on the suggest she had “achieved a state of self-delusion, without hypnosis.” Less scathing remarks were made about Schmal, whom was referred to as no pushover, and Magnus, who was described as being too independent for party politics.
Barb Scott. Photo provided by The City of Calgary Archives.
Long-time Alder-women Barb Scott and Sue Higgins continued to build their legacy through the ‘90s, with Higgins, the self-described Alderbroad, butting heads with her coworkers some more over the no-smoking rules in Council. While the two women returned for another term on Council, on March 1, 1995, a front-page story ran in the Herald, with Scott’s laughing face under the headline “Barbara to Bid Farewell: Scott won’t seek re-election.” First elected in 1971, Barb Scott served on eight consecutive Councils starting in 1971.
1995
1995 saw the reduction of women on Council, with Yvonne Fritz having left in 1993 to run provincially, and Carol Ann Kraychy leaving. Kraychy was replaced by another woman, Linda Fox-Mellway, and Fritz was replaced by longtime Alderman and Councillor Ray Jones in a by-election in 1993, who only retired from Council in 2020. From one long serving Alderman/Councillor to another, 1995 saw the departure of Barb Scott, who was first elected in 1971.
On March 1, 1995, it was announced that Barb Scott was not running for re-election. At the time she was Calgary’s longest-serving Alderman (she is now third with Ray Jones at 27 years and Dale Hodges at 30) and was first elected in 1971. Having served eight terms on Council, Scott said that she was ready to leave and that “I’m quitting because I want to do other things,” including skiing, a return to school and to finally travel.
Barb Scott on the cover of the Calgary Herald after announcing her political retirement.
Scott championed numerous causes in her 24 years serving the City, including improved services for the disadvantaged, affordable housing, crime in her Ward and much more. Scott was the first woman in a decade to serve on Council when she was first elected and ever since, women have had representation. In her media release stating that she would not seek re-election in 1995, Scott admitted that she only intended to run for two terms and would leave afterwards, but “a term or two” eventually turned into eight terms as the more she accomplished the more she realized there were more challenges to be solved. After eight terms, everything she set out to accomplish was completed, and her work was finally done. Susanna Koczkur, Executive Director of the Connection Housing Society, had worked closely with Scott and asked “who could replace Barb Scott?”
First up to try their best to do so was Jon Lord, who served two terms. Nine people ran to replace Scott, and Lord came out ahead by a tiny margin ahead of Karen Kryczka. Third place in Ward 8 was Madeleine King, who would herself eventually represent Ward 8. King’s campaign hit some snags in 1995 when she suffered a knee injury while doorknocking – she tripped on an uneven sidewalk. That did not stop her from getting out, though, and was aided by volunteer and future Alderman and Councillor Druh Farrell. Ward One Candidate Nancy Craig broke her toe also tripping on an uneven sidewalk around the same time.
Calgary Herald.
Carol Kraychy chose not to run again in 1995, saying she had fulfilled all the commitments she had made when she first ran. She made her announcement two weeks after Barb Scott made hers and returned to the private sector to her family’s oil and gas company.
New to Council this year were Patti Grier and Linda Fox-Mellway in Wards 13 & 14, respectively. Patti Grier unseated incumbent Glen Johnston, who came third in a close race between he, Grier and Steve Berg. Johnston had himself scarcely defeated Ann Blough in the previous election by 23 votes.
Linda Fox-Mellway. Photo provided by The City of Calgary Archives.
Replacing Carol Kraychy was Linda Fox-Mellway, who had previously been the vice-chairwoman of the development appeal board for the City before running. Kraychy herself was at Fox-Mellway’s campaign on election day. Born in 1948, Fox-Mellway served as president of her community association, Vice-Chairman of the Subdivision and Development Appeal Board, Fish Creek South Chairman, President of the Youth Crime Prevention Committee, and many others. In total, Fox-Mellway served on at least a dozen committees and organizations before 1995. Fox-Mellway ran numerous times, even winning by acclimation in 2007, doubling Brian Pincott in 2004, running away with the election in 2001 and 1998 before eventually finishing third in 2010 to Peter Demong. While on Council, Fox-Mellway championed her Ward, which was rapidly growing. The 1998 election, for instance, was about filling in a lot of empty space in the sprawling Ward: empty space for the LRT, highways, schools like Bishop O’Byrne and the attached recreation centre and library. Over time she did become less popular; receiving a low grade in a Council report card in the Calgary Sun.
Patti Grier with her two sons and a family friend, along with the family dog. Calgary Herald.
In Ward 13, Glen Johnston was in a four-way race between he, Steve Berg, Elizabeth Crane and Patti Grier. Grier was previously a public-school board trustee who had at the time recently moved out of the ward. From her door knocking, Grier noticed a lot of issues for Ward 13 in 1995 focused on quality-of-life topics, including a lack of public swimming facilities to horse riding trails around the Glenmore Reservoir. Grier would win the election in a very close race, eking out ahead of two others. Grier was appointed to the Calgary Police Commission, the Finance and Budget committee (where she served as vice-chair) and on the Community and Protective Services committee. Patti Grier served her Ward well but even then, the 1998 election was incredibly close, with Diane Colley-Urquhart right behind her in a two-way race. While Grier had done a good job with Ward 13, many people were still unhappy as other issues arose which the City was not addressing, most notably traffic issues. Grier won the 1998 election with around 60 per cent of the vote, vowing to address the traffic issues that had had become such a problem in Ward 13 that a lobbying group was formed to pressure the City to address it. Grier would not finish her second term on Council, though, and resigned to take a position with Alberta Health Services as a public affairs adviser in 2000. A by-election would take place wherein Diane Colley-Urquhart defeated Ric McIver, beating him by less than 300 votes.
1998
1998 was an interesting election. Aside from one Ward, there was no turnover. Al Duerr remained mayor with a commanding lead over a field full of men, winning nearly 140,000 more votes than the next contender, Alderman Ray Clark, and over 160,000 over the next, the Calgary Sun’s own Rick Bell. Joanne Kerr was acclaimed, Bev Longstaff doubled the vote tally over her only competitor, Sue Higgins won by a landslide, as did Linda Fox-Mellway. 1998 was Sue Higgins’s last election as she chose to retire before the 2001 election. The only Ward that was close was 13, with Patti Grier beating Diane Colley-Urquhart by nearly 4,700 votes. The one Ward that saw turnover was Ward 10, as Alderman Ray Clark ran for mayor unsuccessfully. In a five-way race, Diane Danielson came out ahead of Andre Chabot by a large margin.
Diane Danielson. Photo provided by The City of Calgary Archives.
Before the election, Danielson served as a public-school trustee for Wards 5 & 10, spending three terms in that role before running. Referred to as a “fly-by-night” candidate by her main competitor, Danielson ran her campaign around the issue of city bylaws and enforcement of bylaws. This included the big issue of illegal basement suites, saying “Because it’s important if the person next to you is running an illegal fourplex” along with some other quality-of-life issues ranging from semi-trucks driving on residential streets to unkempt yards. While on Council, Danielson served on the Police Commission, Standing Policy Committee as Vice Chair, and as deputy mayor in her first term.
Born in Winnipeg in 1945, Danielson moved to and grew up in Edmonton, where she graduated from high school and the University of Alberta, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree, and worked as a nurse, community coordinator, and many other positions before moving to Calgary with her husband, Arthur Danielson. After moving to Calgary, Danielson went on to serve on a number of community roles, from founder of the Penbrooke Meadows Preschool Society, the Penbrooke Meadows Community Association, Calgary Parks Steering Committee, the Suicide Prevention Management Committee of Alberta and many other roles. Her community involvement led her to enter politics, where she first served as a trustee for the public school system, later a candidate for the provincial Liberals, and then in 1999 she ran for Council to represent Ward 10.
A year after her victory, Danielson was involved in a privacy commissioner investigation. Andrew Koeppen, who ran against Danielson for school board trustee, had penned letters expressing concern and criticism about the CBEs policy of protecting gay staff and students against potential abuse. The letters were leaked to the Calgary Herald during the schoolboard elections, which Koeppen said cost him his chances at winning. Claiming that he had been misrepresented and that his complaint stemmed from singling out gay staff and children rather than a blanket harassment policy, Koeppen won the privacy violation case and subsequently sued Danielson and others for leaking the letters.
Despite controversy surrounding the Koeppen letters, Danielson ran again in 2001, once again against (and defeating) Andre Chabot. She would run again for a third time in 2004, where she would be defeated by Margot Aftergood in what would become one of the biggest political scandals in Calgary politics.
Patti Grier during her second term. Calgary Herald.