Charlie Clark is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

politician and the current Mayor of Saskatoon,

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. He was first elected mayor in

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

and was re-elected in 2020.

Early life

Clark grew up in British Columbia and studied in both Toronto and Winnipeg. He earned bachelor's degrees in conflict resolution and education and a master's degree in environmental studies. Clark worked in mediation, restorative justice, adult education, and

community economic development Community economic development (CED) is a field of study that actively elicits community involvement when working with government, and private sectors to build strong communities, industries, and markets. It includes collaborative and participatory ...

. He moved to Saskatoon in 2002 and worked for local non-profit community development organizations including the Core Neighbourhood Development Council and Quint Development Corporation.

Political career

Saskatoon City Councillor

Clark was first elected to

Saskatoon City Council Saskatoon City Council is the governing body of Saskatoon, the largest city in the central Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It consists of ten councillors representing ten wards throughout the city and the mayor of Saskatoon, who is elected c ...

in 2006, unseating incumbent Elaine Hnatyshyn. He was acclaimed in 2009 and re-elected by a wide margin in 2012. As a councillor Clark often championed greater transparency and alternative development strategies. He voted to ban corporate, union, and out-of-province campaign contributions in motions that were ultimately defeated, advocated for better waste management and transportation policies, and against new mega-projects.

Mayor of Saskatoon

After 10 years as a councillor, Clark launched a bid for mayor in 2016, challenging four-term incumbent

Don Atchison Donald James Atchison (born March 1, 1952) is a Canadian politician who was Mayor of Saskatoon, the largest city in the central Canadian province of Saskatchewan, from 2003 to 2016. Atchison was elected mayor four times, tied for the most after ...

, who was again seeking re-election. Clark ran on a platform of better planning for future growth, including economic and environmental sustainability, as well as more focus on issues of social justice and inclusiveness. The 2016 election became a tight three-way race when another challenger, Kelley Moore, declared her candidacy. Clark's campaign was buoyed by a large team of more than 800 volunteers and several high-profile endorsements, including a late-campaign endorsement from actor

Zach Galifianakis Zachary Knight Galifianakis (born October 1, 1969) is an American actor and comedian. He appeared in ''Comedy Central Presents'' special and presented his show ''Late World with Zach'' on VH1. Galifianakis has starred in films including ''Th ...

, to whom Clark is related. Despite trailing in the polls late in the campaign, Clark was elected mayor, defeating Atchison by a margin of over 3,000 votes. During his first term, Clark oversaw the development of new community partnerships focused on economic and social development, public safety and harm reduction, and sustainability. He championed initiatives like the Safe Community Action Alliance, the city's Low Emissions Community Plan, a new rapid-transit system, and active transportation infrastructure. His long-time support for protected bicycle lanes led to opponents labelling Clark "Bike Lane Charlie." He also drew a sharp contrast with former mayor Atchison, who never attended a pride parade during his 13-year tenure as mayor, when he grand-marshaled the 2017 pride parade. Clark ran for a second term as mayor in 2020 amidst the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. He ran on a platform of economic recovery, inclusive growth, and addressing the root causes of crime. He was challenged by former provincial MLA and cabinet minister

Rob Norris Rob Norris is a former Canadian politician and retired government relations officer. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan from 2007 to 2016 as a member of the Saskatchewan Party, and formerly a member of the Saskatchewan ...

, who was accused of organizing a slate of candidates in the election - a charge Norris denied. Atchison also entered the race in a bid to reclaim the mayor's chair. Clark, Norris, and Atchison were joined in the race by Cary Tarasoff, Zubair Sheik, and Mark Zielke. The date of the election was initially moved by the provincial government so as not to conflict with the 2020 provincial election, and was then postponed by a severe blizzard. Clark was ultimately re-elected to his second term by a wide margin.

Personal life

Clark is married to law professor Sarah Buhler. They have three children.

Election results

References

External links

Mayor's Biography
Mayors of Saskatoon Living people 21st-century Canadian politicians Year of birth missing (living people) {{Saskatchewan-politician-stub Saskatoon city councillors