Naheed Nenshi cloaked himself in purple 91裸聊视频� a mix of Liberal red and Conservative blue 91裸聊视频� during his dark-horse bid to become Calgary91裸聊视频檚 mayor in 2010, for the 11 years he stayed in the job and in much of his post-city hall life.

The hue of the ties and shirts he donned for work was meant to symbolize his non-partisan approach to getting things done in public office.

But on Monday, the purple ex-mayor entered the arena of ideological fisticuffs, running to replace Rachel Notley as the head of Alberta91裸聊视频檚 official Opposition NDP with the goal of standing across from United Conservative Premier Danielle Smith, a former University of Calgary classmate, in the legislature.

In an interview in 2021, after he announced he would not try for a fourth term as mayor, Nenshi showed little interest in running for another order of government but didn91裸聊视频檛 rule it out.

91裸聊视频淯ltimately, I91裸聊视频檓 not sure if there91裸聊视频檚 a lot of room for purple in federal and provincial politics,91裸聊视频� he said.

91裸聊视频淢aybe there is.91裸聊视频�

Nenshi, in an interview before he announced his NDP candidacy Monday, said purple has many shades of meaning and the colour also symbolizes not being defined by one91裸聊视频檚 tribe during an 91裸聊视频渆xtremely divisive91裸聊视频� time.

91裸聊视频淭here doesn91裸聊视频檛 seem to be a lot of room for common humanity,91裸聊视频� he said.

91裸聊视频淵ou know what? There has to be. We can91裸聊视频檛 continue to go on like this.91裸聊视频�

Nenshi, 52, has kept his hands in discourse on the provincial scene since he left municipal office.

He endorsed Notley91裸聊视频檚 NDP three days before the May 2023 provincial election, which the UCP won, albeit with major seat losses in Calgary.

Nenshi didn91裸聊视频檛 exactly ditch the purple and wrap himself in NDP orange in an opinion piece he wrote for CTV News announcing his voting plans.

In it, he lamented the 91裸聊视频渓ost opportunity91裸聊视频� while Notley was premier from 2015 to 2019 to make major strides in housing and mental health. He also called the NDP91裸聊视频檚 failure to support a Calgary bid for the 2026 Olympics 91裸聊视频� an idea he championed 91裸聊视频� a 91裸聊视频渕assive fumble.91裸聊视频�

But he called Smith an 91裸聊视频渆xistential threat91裸聊视频� to Alberta.

91裸聊视频淲e simply have no idea what she will do as premier, and that scares me more than a few years of a potentially not-great NDP government.91裸聊视频�

Nenshi has been a regular broadcast pundit and column writer in his post-mayor life. He remains a prolific poster on the social media platform X, which used to be known as Twitter and where his foray into city politics got much of its traction among young people.

He spoke passionately at a rally outside Calgary city hall last month after Smith announced planned policies affecting transgender Albertans, including parental notification if children want to change their names or pronouns at school.

91裸聊视频淧remier Smith, I want you to understand that votes aren91裸聊视频檛 worth a few dead kids,91裸聊视频� Nenshi told the rally.

Nenshi was a little-known academic when he pulled off a long-shot win against two establishment candidates in 2010 to become the first Muslim mayor of a big North American city.

Hallmarks of Nenshi91裸聊视频檚 time in municipal office included expanding public transit, growing cycling infrastructure, building a new downtown library praised by many as an architectural gem and trying to rein in suburban sprawl.

Toward the end, he became a polarizing figure as the wider economy faltered, tensions grew with the provincial government and his dream of Calgary again hosting the Winter Games after its famous 1988 turn fizzled.

Nenshi, during his time as mayor, also garnered national attention for his handling of the 2013 floods that submerged several Calgary neighbourhoods.

People affixed pictures of his head on ads for the Superman movie 91裸聊视频淢an of Steel91裸聊视频� and put up posters suggesting Calgarians 91裸聊视频淜eep Calm and Nenshi On.91裸聊视频�

The phrase 91裸聊视频淣enshi noun91裸聊视频� became social media shorthand for someone doing something dangerously stupid after, at a news conference, he chastised someone he saw boating on one of the city91裸聊视频檚 swollen rivers.

91裸聊视频淚 have a large number of nouns that I can use to describe people I saw on the Bow River today. I am not allowed to use any of them,91裸聊视频� he said.

A self-described wonk, he has a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Calgary, where he was president of the students union. He also holds a master91裸聊视频檚 in public policy from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

In his 2010 victory speech, Nenshi said he hoped kids of all ethnicities would see him elected and think: 91裸聊视频淚 can be anything.91裸聊视频�

But Nenshi, whose parents immigrated to Canada from Tanzania while his mother was pregnant with him, has also said it shouldn91裸聊视频檛 have been a shock to see someone who looks like him winning political office in a city sometimes deridingly called 91裸聊视频淐owtown.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淗ow could a non-white person, a Muslim, get elected in a place like that?91裸聊视频� Nenshi, in the 2021 interview, recalled people saying of his first mayoral victory.

91裸聊视频淎nd all these people wrote these ridiculous thought pieces (that said), 91裸聊视频楾his is the face of the new Calgary.91裸聊视频�

91裸聊视频淚 thought to myself, 91裸聊视频楯eez, I91裸聊视频檝e lived here almost my whole life. This new Calgary91裸聊视频檚 been around for at least four decades and no one seems to have noticed.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

Nenshi recounted how someone in his office was asked what it was like to have a 91裸聊视频渃hilled out91裸聊视频� boss with one foot out the door.

91裸聊视频淎nd his response was, 91裸聊视频楬ave you met the mayor? He doesn91裸聊视频檛 have a chill gear.91裸聊视频�91裸聊视频�

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