Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark says he’s not running again

Eight years in the mayor’s office is enough for Saskatoon’s Charlie Clark.

At a news conference on Wednesday afternoon at City Hall, Clark announced he won’t be running in the city’s next municipal election, which is set for Nov. 13.

“There’s two main reasons that I have come to this decision; it’s a difficult decision,” he told reporters. “The first is that I only have a brief window of time to experience being a parent who isn’t also a public figure and I want to get the most of these last years with my kids … before they have moved out and moved on.

“The second is that I actually didn’t get into civic politics to make it a career, but after almost 18 years — life-changing years — on city council, I can tell in my heart that it’s time for a new chapter in my life and I honestly do not know what that is yet.”

Joined by family members including his parents and children, Clark said he doesn’t plan on seeking public office at the provincial or federal levels.

Clark was first elected to Saskatoon city council in 2006 after being urged to provide a younger voice on council.

“At first, I thought, ‘No way do I want to do that,’ because it’s a lot easier to be a critic from the sidelines than to be a person who becomes responsible for actually making decisions about things and then having your name in the paper the next day for what decisions you made,” he said. “But underneath that fear was a feeling that, ‘Maybe I should try this and see if I could bring a more collaborative approach to city council.’ I ran and I won …

“At that time, I would never have imagined I was embarking on an 18-year adventure in civic politics that would give me a front-row seat to the transformation of this amazing prairie city.”

Clark was re-elected to council in 2012. In 2016, he defeated four-term incumbent Don Atchison to take over as mayor, and was re-elected in 2020 by a considerable margin.

Saskatoon Mayor Charlie Clark speaks at an event in 2023. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)

Jason Aebig, CEO of the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, thanked the outgoing mayor for his dedication as mayor and a member of council, and complimented Clark’s integrity and “unfailing sense of community.”

The mayor’s most recent term has been marked by large infrastructure projects in the downtown core, environmental initiatives, and tricky financial challenges for the city.

The city is embarking on a major project to build a new downtown arena and surrounding “entertainment district,” while the Saskatoon Public Library will soon begin construction on its new main branch downtown.

Clark also oversaw the creation of the city’s compost program and the addition of the first electric buses to the Saskatoon Transit fleet.

After a series of lengthy budget meetings, the city was forced to impose a 6.04 per cent property tax hike on residents in 2024, along with an increase of at least 5.64 per cent in 2025. That was largely due to a $52.4-million funding gap that piled up due to inflationary pressures, pandemic recovery, and funding snow removal in 2022 after major blizzards slammed the city.

Asked what he might do in the future, Clark revealed he might be interested in post-secondary education.

“If the university would have me, I would love to teach a class or two there,” he said.