Charlie Clark (politician)

Charlie Clark is a Canadian politician and the current Mayor of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He was first elected mayor in 2016 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. 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. He has stated that he nearly became a teacher before getting involved in municipal politics.

Saskatoon City Councillor
Clark was first elected to Saskatoon City Council 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, 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 team of more than 800 volunteers and several high-profile endorsements, including from actor Zach Galifianakis, 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. 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, 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.

Clark's second term has seen a continued focus on sustainable and long-term growth, with the city pursuing a corridor strategy aimed at limiting continual sprawl and increasing density in the city. Clark's council increased its focus on homelessness in the city, advocating to better coordinate federal and provincial funding and pursuing a decentralization of services within the city. In 2023, Clark stated that moving ahead with a number of major projects would be a priority, including a continuation of downtown revitalization efforts through planning for a new downtown entertainment district, and waste diversion initiatives.

On January 24, 2024, Clark announced that he would not seek a third term as mayor. He stated that he was most proud of helping to build relationships throughout the community and changing the city's reputation as one that tended to lose its young professionals. The decision made Clark the first Saskatoon mayor since Cliff Wright to leave office without losing an election; Wright left office in 1988.

Controversies
In April 2021, a security guard at a local grocery store was recorded while arresting an Indigenous woman for stealing, an interaction in which the guard applied force to restrain and arrest the woman. At the time, Clark released a statement saying that "not everyone would have been treated this way". After a judge ruled in 2023 that the security guard had acted within his rights, the crown prosecutor criticized Clark and Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations Chief Bobby Cameron—who had also spoke out about the incident—for releasing statements about a matter that was before the court.

Personal life
Clark is married to Sarah Buhler, a law professor at the University of Saskatchewan. They have three children. When Clark announced that he would not be seeking a third term as mayor, he cited a desire to spend time as a parent with children at home while not also being a public figure.