Coun. Andy McGrogan gestures at an April 23 city council meeting as Mayor Linnsie Clark looks on. McGrogan announced Tuesday his candidacy for mayor in the upcoming Oct. 20 municipal election, saying the city needs better leadership at the top.--NEWS FILE PHOTO
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Coun. Andy McGrogan will seek re-election in Medicine Hat this fall, albeit for a different chair this time.
The first-term city councillor and former Medicine Hat police chief has filed his candidacy for mayor ahead of the 2025 municipal election, submitting his nomination package on Tuesday. McGrogan is the first member of the current council to announce their intention to run in the Oct. 20 election.
“It became quite clear we need some leadership and collaborative skills at the top, and I think I am positioned to do that,” McGrogan said. “I’m actually looking forward to that possibility.”
The retired police chief received the second most votes in 2021 coming off 12 years at the helm of the Medicine Hat Police Service, where he donned the uniform for a total of 40 years. McGrogan says running for mayor is about looking to the future and continuing to work for the citizens.
“We all did the best we can, but it was just a strange dynamic, and let’s move forward, let’s make it better,” McGrogan said.
McGrogan publicly said in 2024 he had no plans to run for mayor and wasn’t seeking re-election for his council seat. But with the election drawing near, McGrogan says he wants to help bring confidence back to the city and council.
“I still have some gas in the tank and I want to do the right thing for our community,” McGrogan said. “It’s all about our taxpayers, and I think we’ve missed the boat so far.
“Let’s bring some leadership and confidence back to city hall, I want to be part of that and I think we can do it.”
McGrogan says he will work with his team to put together strategies for his campaign, but his main focus will remain on the City of Medicine Hat and working with Mayor Linnsie Clark and his seven fellow councillors.
“I’m still a councillor, I’m still serving our mayor and serving our citizens, and that’s No. 1,”
McGrogan is the second name officially on the mayoral candidacy list, joining Alan Rose on the ballot. Rose finished third in voting in the 2021 election. Former Cypress-Medicine Hat MLA Drew Barnes on Tuesday announced his intention to run for mayor through a media sent to local media. The release says Barnes filed with the chief electoral officer on Tuesday.
There are eight names so far on the ballot for council – Kelly G. Allard, Dana Christensen, Cristopher T. Hellman, Donald Knudsen, Adam Koch, Pamela Kunz, Clayton Stevens and Troy Wason. All candidates are required to submit their notice of intent and nominations forms with the city clerk’s office by the end of the nomination period, midnight on Sept. 22.
