One of the youngest Councillors ever elected to Calgary City Council, Jeromy Farkas has made waves with his common-sense efforts for taxpayers challenging spending and secrecy at City Hall.
The Canadian Taxpayers Federation gave a rare kudos to Jeromy for refusing Council’s “Golden Pension” plan and the large “goodbye cheques” council members receive if they quit or are defeated. Assuming Farkas serves for 12 years, and lives to age 85, the CTF estimates this decision amounted to upwards of $1.1 million.
Jeromy’s efforts have often landed him in hot water with his colleagues. In 2018, Jeromy publicly exposed the fact that Council was due for an automatic pay raise, despite the denials and demands for a retraction from his colleagues. Jeromy stood his ground, earning the infamous distinction of being the first elected official to be ejected from City Hall. Following an apology by the City Chief Financial Officer and a review of the matter, Jeromy was vindicated and quietly allowed to return to Council.
Jeromy’s short time on Council has pushed the envelope and advanced the interests of taxpayers, including reforms to the excessive use of secret meetings, an improved relationship with the Tsuut’ina Nation, better co-ordination of construction projects, City intervention in support of Canada’s responsible energy industry, and a push to publicly apologize for Calgary’s much maligned public art program.
Jeromy is the first openly LGBTQ person to hold municipal elected office in the City of Calgary, and his family arrived in Canada as refugees following the 1956 Hungarian revolution. He is a strong advocate for “needs before wants” and is thrilled to represent a new generation of data-driven and “socially live and let live” conservatives focused on the economy and entrepreneurship.
A former Senior Fellow at the Manning Centre, the born-and-raised Calgarian graduated from the University of Calgary where he served as Executive Administrator for the Israel Studies Doctorate Program. Through his experience as a research team lead for the Faculty of Medicine, Jeromy also developed his own successful small business that focused on finance and data analysis.
Jeromy is passionate about volunteerism and gives much of his personal time to a variety of organizations in the arenas of sports, politics, conservation, and youth mentorship.
He is an avid cyclist, ultra-distance mountain runner, and competes annually in the Calgary Ironman 70.3.
