Jyoti Gondek

Political career From 2017 to 2021 she was the councillor for Ward 3, which includes the communities of, Carrington, Country Hills, Country Hills Village, Coventry Hills, Harvest Hills, and Panorama Hills. Ward 3 is in the NW region of Calgary. Prior to her term as a city councillor, Gondek sat as a citizen member of the city's planning commission.

In 2021, it was reported that in 2013, Gondek's consultancy was hired by the Urban Development Institute, a special interest group for the development industry in Calgary, to influence public opinion in favour of urban sprawl.

Mayor of Calgary On October 18, 2021, she was elected the 37th mayor of Calgary. Gondek was sworn in along with the incoming city council on October 25, 2021,

During the swearing-in ceremony for the new City Council, Gondek refused to swear in Sean Chu, who was embroiled in a scandal following allegations of impropriety with a minor while he was a member of the Calgary Police Service. Gondek attended a rally calling for Chu's resignation.

On March 29, 2022, a poll by ThinkHQ Public Affairs pegged Gondek's approval rating at 38%, with 53% of respondents disapproving and the remaining 9% unsure. The unusually low approval rating in the first few months of her mayoral tenure has been attributed to the failed Calgary Event Centre deal, a four percent tax increase and the COVID-19 pandemic, including the related protests in the Beltline neighbourhood. Gondek responded to the poll, saying it was a "data point at a very specific point in time," and reflective of residents' frustrations with the uncertain economy caused by the pandemic.

In December 2023, Gondek announced she would not attend the city's annual Hanukkah menorah lighting ceremony. She had initially accepted the invitation but withdrew when the event was positioned in part as a show of support for Israel, a move she said politicized the religious celebration given the ongoing Gaza war. Gondek's decision was met with varying reactions across Calgary. Some council members backed her stance against politicization, and others voiced concerns about Israel Bonds being sold at the event. Calgary MP Pat Kelly suggested that Gondek's withdrawal could normalize antisemitism, while Alberta Premier Danielle Smith called Gondek's decision a mistake and confirmed members of her government would participate in the event. The Calgary Jewish Foundation expressed disappointment at Gondek's decision and reaffirmed their support for Israel.

On January 30, 2024, Calgary business owner Landon Johnston filed a motion of recall against Gondek, due to his frustration with the city's spending and tax increases. The recall campaign required 514,284 in-person signatures between February and April 2024 to succeed, which political analysts deemed highly unlikely. Gondek responded by saying the motion came as a surprise, but that she was open to meeting with Johnston and other members of the public. On May 13, 2024, the city announced that the motion had failed, with only 69,344 unverified signatures signed.

Gondek ran for re-election in the 2025 municipal election. She was defeated in her bid for a second term, placing third behind Jeromy Farkas and city councillor Sonya Sharp. This marked the first time since Ross Alger in 1980 that a Calgary mayor was defeated after one term.