Don't be fooled. Calgary city hall's top boss, David Duckworth, has managed to dodge the axe and secure a deal far better than he deserves. This comes despite a series of failures that have left many questioning accountability at city hall.
A close call in the election
If last fall's municipal election had turned out just a little differently, Duckworth would have been on the chopping block as soon as the new mayor and council took over. That would have been job number one: out with the old, in with the new, a clean break from the Naheed Nenshi and Jyoti Gondek era. But most Calgarians slept through the election, and Duckworth ducked the axe.
Water pipe crisis erupts
During the Christmas holidays, the major water pipe delivering most of Calgary's water exploded again. This scribbler called for Duckworth to be fired. Enough was enough. Yet Duckworth ducked the axe once more. A bombshell report on the city's mishandling of the water system followed, and the question was asked: who gets fired? Duckworth ducked the axe again.
By mid-January, the knives were out. Newshounds were told a city council majority was ready to make a move on Duckworth. But the very next day, city council wimped out, losing their nerve. The city hall big boss was not fired. Rookie councillor Landon Johnston, who led an unsuccessful petition drive to fire Gondek, remarked, "There still is Gondek's and Nenshi's aura stenching up these halls." No matter. Duckworth ducked the axe.
The sweetheart deal
Now it is the end of April. If Duckworth had been let go after the election, the city would be announcing a new leader from elsewhere. Instead, Mayor Jeromy Farkas held a news conference with a smiling Duckworth by his side. Farkas praised Duckworth and city hall leadership, calling the paper shufflers top-of-the-line individuals. He claimed that when Nenshi rolled out Duckworth seven years ago, council made the right choice. This scribbler noted in 2019 that hiring Duckworth signaled city hall would not get a much-needed attitude adjustment.
Under the deal, Duckworth will stay on guiding city hall at over $400,000 a year, not including pension and perks, until December 1, when a new water pipe will be unveiled. Critics say this is a sweetheart deal that rewards failure and underscores a lack of accountability at Calgary city hall.
