Stephen
Mandel
EDMONTON — With a victory
described a "stunning upset" by Edmonton's media, Stephen Mandel has been
elected Edmonton's first Jewish mayor.
The 59-year-old Mandel
was serving a single three-year term on city council when he entered the
race for mayor, and he becomes the second Jewish mayor elected in Western
Canada this year, following Sam Katz in Winnipeg. .
Throughout the campaign,
opinion polls showed Mandel trailing three-term mayor Bill Smith and former
city councilor Robert Noce. But by the time the last poll was released
just days before the Oct. 18 vote, Mandel had caught up to the frontrunners,
and on election day he surprised even his supporters by taking 40 per cent
of the votes, 17,000 more than Smith.
Mandel promised voters
that he would work to "make Edmonton a capital city again," referring to
the feeling of many Edmontonians that Calgary has been receiving the major
share of the benefits from Alberta's booming economy. He has also said
he would try to build consensus on city council, unlike the former mayor,
who was often accused of forging ahead with his own agenda.
Mandel moved to Edmonton
in 1972 from his native Windsor, Ont. He earned undergraduate degrees in
arts and business from universities in the United States and a master's
in political science from the University of Windsor.
He moved to Edmonton
to work with his father and has been involved in land development, trailer
parks, small shopping centres and other commercial properties. His father
David died of cancer in 1982.
Mandel has been an
active volunteer in both the Jewish and general communities. In 1997 and
1998, he was president of the Jewish Federation of Edmonton, and, until
his election to council, he was a board member of the Beit Horim Society,
a group dedicated to establishing a Jewish seniors residence in Edmonton.
Up to a few years
ago, he could also be seen on the ice or the ball diamond as part of the
Jewish hockey and baseball leagues, but a heart by-pass operation two years
ago put a halt to those activities. His love of sports was put to the test
in 1998, when he invested in the Tucson Gila Monsters of the West Coast
Hockey League. This turned out to be one of his few bad business decisions,
but he maintains the experience was a lot of fun.
He is a member of
Temple Beth Ora, Edmonton's Reform congregation.
Rabbi Lindsey bat
Joseph describes Mandel as a long-time supporter who is "quietly generous
without a lot of fanfare." Her congregation is thrilled with his victory
and believes that his straightforward approach and sense of humour will
be appreciated by all Edmontonians.
The day after his
election, Mandel celebrated his 31st wedding anniversary with his wife
Lynn. Their children, Rachel, 27, and Adam, 24, are attending university
in Florida.
Also prominent in
the post-election coverage was his 91-year-old mother Bessie, who lives
in an Edmonton retirement home. Newspaper reports commented on how Mandel
would often have to leave council meetings early to drive his mother to
an appointment.
Mandel's religion
was referred to a few times during the campaign, mostly with references
to the Yiddish words and sayings he often uses in conversation.
The other Jewish member
of Edmonton's city council, Karen Leibovici, easily won re-election in
her west end ward, 10,000 votes ahead of the second place finisher.
|
