Did Naheed Nenshi simply wake up one morning and decide to start denigrating those disagreeing with him, or was it the drip, drip, drip of politics that turned him into an angry man?

Because the former Calgary mayor — and would-be provincial NDP leader — didn’t always appear to be a person who’d throw out spurious white supremacy accusations against protesting truck drivers, deride council colleagues for getting ‘blotto’ on the job yet refuse to name them, or, just last week, call Alberta’s premier a compulsive liar leading an immoral government.

When first causing a political stir by winning Calgary’s mayoral election in 2010, Nenshi seemed a model of warm-hearted inclusiveness in praising opponents Barb Higgins and Ric McIver afterward. “We have to thank Ms. Higgins for everything she’s done for this city,” said the triumphant new mayor, calling McIver “an outstanding leader for this city.”

Back then, religion wasn’t mentioned. That Nenshi was Muslim didn’t matter to Calgarians and it played........

© Calgary Herald