'V is for victory': Female candidates band together on Edmonton campaign trail

Togetherthe women raised their fists and formed V's with their fingers.

"Vis for victory," one of them said.

Two dozen women running for municipal office in Edmonton gathered for a political pub night Wednesday to trade campaign trail adviceover beers.

"I've connected with a lot of female candidates running across the city and it's interesting to hear their stories and know that my experiences are the same," said Miranda Jimmy, who organized the event.

"I never saw myself as a woman candidate;I always saw myself as a candidate who happened to be a woman," she added.

But campaigning for Ward 5 changed her perspective, Jimmy said.

"Women are perceived differently in this role and I think there are different challenges we haveto overcome to gain the public's trust and support."

She invited the 38 women whofiled a notice of intent to run in Edmonton's upcoming municipal elections to Wednesday's pub night.

Twenty-two are vying for a seat on city council, alongside Jimmy.

The remaining 16 women are running for positions as trustees for either Edmonton's Catholic school board or the public school board.

Collectively, Jimmy said they could write a book about the challenges women face in municipal politics.

Jimmy fields as many questions about her family and marital status as she does about her policies, she said.

"I'm sure that I've gained a better poker face through all of this," Jimmy said, laughing.

Some wards don't have female candidates yet, which is why Jimmy said she hopes Wednesday's eventinspiresothers to join the race.

The pub night was also open to anyone curious about the 2017 municipal elections. Tickets sold out in less than a week, Jimmy said.

"I'd like to allow people to say, 'That could be me,' " she said. "The more opportunities there are for women or people of diverse backgrounds to run, the more will get elected."

Edmontonians can declare a notice of intent to run until the candidate listsbecome official on Sept. 18.

'Women just look at it differently'

Coun. Bev Esslinger said she's keen for more women to join city council. She is the only woman working alongside11 male counterparts.

"There's many times that I wish that we had more diverse points of view from other women," she said. "I can't sit on all the committees so it would be great to have that woman's perspective on different committees."

Esslinger's personal experiences have influencedher policies, she said.For instance, she spearheaded a 2015 campaign to make public transit safer for women.

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"Women just look at it differently," she said.

Esslingeris seeking re-election for Ward 2 and said she's encouraged to be running against more women than during her last campaign.

So far, half of the 76 candidates who have declared their intention to run for office are female.

"I hope they're successful," Esslinger said.

"I'm excited to see that women feel they have a place at the table and that they're coming out to step forward and do that."

No female mayoral candidates

There are no women running against Mayor Don Iveson. So far, hefaces a lone competitior.

Former city worker Fahad Mughal said he left his job with Edmonton's sustainable development department to launch a mayoral campaign.

"It frustrated me that nobody wants to run against Mayor Don Iveson," Mughal said."I made a choice so that people can choose."

Edmonton goes to the polls Oct. 16.