Jeromy Farkas' campaign pledge to ban townhomes, row homes and duplexes citywide suggests that his last four years may have been less of a metamorphosis than advertised and more of a scripted political rebranding exercise.

🤳Farkas spent the last four years trying to rehabilitate his public image

Since his failed 2021 mayoral bid, Jeromy Farkas has been busy working to convince Calgarians that he has “grown” following his term as an “unabashedly acrimonious" city councillor, where he was known for rage-farming and sewing public distrust in City Hall, was accused by his council colleagues for “weaponizing misinformation”, and unapologetically stoked division by calling peaceful community movements for racial justice “extremist”. Many will also remember his preceding years of political activism at the Manning Centre politicizing bike lanes and road safety.

As part of a lengthy public image rehabilitation campaign, Farkas loaded up his LinkedIn profile with stints on the boards of various non-profits. His most extravagant effort involved channeling his inner Reese Witherspoon, retreading the physical and emotional footsteps of her character in the 2014 movie ‘Wild’, based on the book by Cheryl Strayed. Hiking the exact same trail but equipped with a selfie stick, Farkas live blogged the fundraiser-adventure and even made a documentary movie about his trip, generating for himself plenty of publicity around his personal “change” narrative.

Farkas’ well-publicized hike and live-blogged personal journey along the Pacific Crest Trail retreaded that of Reese Witherspoon’s character in the 2014 movie ‘Wild’ (based on the book by Cheryl Strayed) on the exact same trail.

🔒🏠 Farkas joins the Housing Gatekeepers Club

So it may have come as a surprise to some folks when Jeromy Farkas, who launched his latest mayoralty bid “to give Calgarians something to vote for, not against”, reverted to his old ways when he announced his housing policy on June 18th. At the centre of Farkas’ housing announcement was his pledge to repeal the City’s removal of outdated exclusionary zoning that previously banned row homes, duplexes and townhomes in many neighbourhoods. Ignoring the advice of industry experts and housing advocates alike, Farkas now joins the ranks of other mayoralty candidates promising to repeal rezoning, including Billionaires First leader Sonya Sharp and fellow failed 2021 mayoralty candidate Jeff Davison.

👻Farkas is resurrecting his anti-secondary suite arguments

Jeromy Farkas in 2017. (Image source: Calgary Sun)

As ward 11 councillor, Farkas voted against the successful motion that legalized secondary suites and created a streamlined process for permitting safe, legal suites for people in neighbourhoods across the city. He continued to resist secondary suites even after they were legalized by voting against a two-year amnesty program to help bring the estimated 16,000 illegal basement and backyard suites up to code. 

“Our councillor's job is to represent our neighbourhoods, rather than impose City Hall's view on Calgarians. My family chose to live in an R-1 neighbourhood for a reason and want to see that lifestyle maintained.” 

-Jeromy Farkas on secondary suites (2017)

The 14-year-long secondary suites debate shared much of the same fear mongering, doom and gloom arguments from a vocal minority that we hear again today in opposition to citywide rezoning that permits row homes, duplexes and townhomes. But the sky didn’t fall after secondary suites were legalized citywide. In fact, today Calgary’s secondary suite program is a success story. The City has successfully brought nearly 20,000 safe, legal suites online since 2015, and 2,522 new suites in just the last year alone. 

✂ Calgary’s Housing Strategy removes red tape and benefits all Calgarians

Image source: (Globe and Mail)

Without the Housing Strategy, Calgary’s growth would be more reliant on new sprawl. That means more drive-until-you-qualify housing and higher taxes for all Calgarians – who are ultimately forced to subsidize construction and operation of new roads and infrastructure to support more new far flung communities every year. 

Among the key benefits, rezoning to permit row homes, duplexes and townhomes citywide:

• 📈 maximizes land values for homeowners;

• 🏘️ provides greater variety of housing options within neighbourhoods;

• 💸reduces Calgary’s dependency on financially and environmentally costly sprawl;

• 🏘️ creates more housing supply, and; 
• 🛝 promotes reinvestment in established neighbourhoods.

Opponents of legalizing row homes, duplexes and townhomes seeking public office like Mr. Farkas are being disingenuous when they tell you they care about addressing the housing crisis.

👾 A reinvented politician is still a politician

It’s one thing to change one’s lawn signs, but something else to change one’s core values.