Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek is facing accusations from one of her opponents in the mayoral race that her office used taxpayer funds to benefit her re-election bid — allegations Gondek is denying.
After submitting a Freedom of Information request, the Calgary Party is alleging the mayor’s office hired a public relations agency early last year for “an image makeover and brand redevelopment.”
Documents show an agency called Black Coffee Studio was hired on March 18, 2024, and was paid $112,689.20 through Dec. 31, 2024.
“It is clear that we were paying for, as Calgary taxpayers, the mayor’s rebranding so she could win the election,” said Brian Thiessen, the mayoral candidate for the Calgary Party.
Work from the agency included strategic communications advice, polling on key issues, and a new website for the mayor’s office, outside of the website provided by the City of Calgary.
The Calgary Party claims the content closely mirrors Gondek’s campaign platform, and questioned whether the website was for mayoral communication or “early campaign activity.”
Thiessen and the party are calling for an investigation into whether the website violated election rules, and how mayoral and council office budgets are used in the leadup to elections.
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“We deserve an investigation by the province into whether she violated city policies, or provincial finance election laws,” Thiessen said. “I think Calgarians deserve an apology and a refund.”
In an interview with Global News on Thursday afternoon, Gondek called the allegations “baseless” and denied any wrongdoing.
“These allegations are completely false,” Gondek said. “They’re just meant to create a little bit of churn and I don’t think Calgarians are going to fall for that.”
According to Gondek, her chief of staff recommended her office hire Black Coffee Studio to help improve communications from her office to Calgarians.
The hiring came ahead of a meeting Gondek had with the head petitioner of a recall campaign against her, according to the documents, as well as council’s lengthy public hearing and debate on citywide rezoning.
“We were missing that strategic communications component at the level where we needed it,” Gondek said. “We brought in an expert in communications and strategy and I have learned a great deal and I think we have done a much better job of meeting Calgarians’ expectations.”
Gondek said she didn’t announce her intentions to run for re-election until the end of last year, and didn’t officially launch her campaign until last week, adding the websites for both her campaign and office are through different developers.
She also said she has been working in “lockstep” with the city’s ethics adviser on dividing her work as mayor from her candidacy.
The city’s ethics adviser confirmed to Global News that Gondek “reached out multiple times for advice and assistance” on the matter.
“I have done everything to divide my roles and responsibilities as the mayor from what I do as a candidate,” Gondek said.
However, Thiessen is also alleging the spouse of the owner of Black Coffee Studio is “running” Gondek’s re-election bid as campaign manager.
Gondek also denied that allegation, noting she doesn’t have a campaign manager and her campaign is comprised of volunteers.
It’s unclear whether an investigation will take place, but Thiessen said he hopes more answers come before election day on Oct. 20.
“It undermines people’s sense of trust in democracy,” he said. “What we’re hoping for is rapid response from the province.”
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