Edmonton, Oct. 24, 2025 — Andrew Knack has been elected mayor of Edmonton after official results from Elections Edmonton were released on Friday. Knack, running as an independent, won with 78,519 votes, taking 37.98% of the ballots cast and defeating his nearest rival, Tim Cartmell, by 16,844 votes. The city’s formal declaration of results makes Knack the 37th mayor of Alberta’s capital.
A three-term city councillor who represented Ward Nakota Isga, Knack campaigned on what he described as “a plan for a better future,” centring his pitch on housing affordability, safer neighbourhoods and pragmatic growth management. In interviews and at campaign events he portrayed himself as a city insider with a record of local experience who would resist party-style politics at city hall.
“Edmontonians want practical results — not more division,” Knack told supporters after the results were confirmed, pledging to work with council, police and community groups to make the city more affordable and safer for families and small businesses.
The official count confirms a low-to-moderate turnout: roughly 206,799 Edmontonians cast ballots in this municipal election, a turnout figure the city reported as part of the official results. Analysts say the margin of victory and the distribution of votes across wards give Knack a clear mandate, but not an overwhelming one — he won with just under 38 per cent of the vote in a multi-candidate field.
Tim Cartmell, who led the Better Edmonton slate and had campaigned heavily on public-safety and fiscal-responsibility platforms, conceded shortly after the results were finalized. On his campaign page he thanked volunteers and supporters and said he was proud of the campaign’s work.
Safety and affordability were two of the dominant themes on the campaign trail. Knack’s pledges to expand housing supply through zoning and to prioritize community-policing partnerships were framed as immediate priorities for his first term.
Those pledges arrive as the Edmonton Police Service’s year-end analysis reported measurable improvements in 2024: the city’s total crime rate fell by 6% and the Crime Severity Index decreased by 5% compared with 2023, figures EPS released in July 2025. Police officials highlighted declines in several violent- and property-crime categories even as some service demands — such as calls related to disorder and certain types of theft — rose. Knack has said he wants to build on those gains by investing in prevention and stronger coordination with social services.
Knack takes office as Edmonton continues to grow rapidly. The city faces pressure to add housing stock, upgrade aging infrastructure and fund services without substantially increasing property taxes. Municipal observers note that Knack’s independent status could help him act as a bridge on a council now made up of a mix of incumbents, newcomers and candidates affiliated with slates — but it will also mean he must cultivate working relationships to pass major initiatives.
Knack has said a top priority in the coming weeks will be naming a transition team, publishing a 100-day plan and beginning consultations on the city budget. He inherits a municipal administration that has recently emphasized data-driven crime-fighting strategies, homelessness response coordination and infrastructure planning — all areas where municipal, provincial and community partners will expect a clear plan.
Local media outlets and analysts described the result as a rebuke of party-style campaigning at the municipal level and a sign that many voters favored a candidate with council experience and a promise of pragmatic, non-partisan governance. Supporters celebrated Knack’s victory as a chance for measured change; critics warned that delivering on affordability and safety will require concrete policies and funding choices that may test political consensus on council.
Knack will be sworn in later this month and has signalled his intention to move fast on a handful of early priorities — housing supply, public safety partnerships and a review of capital spending — while promising an inclusive approach to decision-making. Edmonton residents, business groups and advocacy organizations will be watching closely to see whether the mayor-elect translates campaign rhetoric into measurable results.
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