How did you meet your wife, Sarah?

My wife hates this when I say this, but we met through the newspaper. We were both volunteers at the campus paper at the University of Alberta -- the Gateway -- and I was her editor. I never took advantage of the power of the relationship -- it was only a couple of years later when we met each other again at a party. We started seeing each other after that.

We've been together for 11 years and have been married since 2006. Her family is here, she was born and raised in Edmonton. Her family is from Hong Kong. Her father is one of my mentors ... His greatest aspirations in life was for his three kids to be educated and to succeed here in Edmonton.

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How are you going to find the time for your children?

It has been pretty tough within the last few months, but my kids still recognize me when I come in through the door. It hasn't been that bad. During the campaign it was a real challenge, but friends and family really pitched in to make sure the kids have support.

We had some really fun experiences together and my kids are going to do some extraordinary things. I am hoping my son will be on my lap when we drive the northwest LRT through a ribbon in the spring next year and he will never forget that. My wife is flexible and she's self-employed. She's always been there for our children.

My wife often brings them to art classes at the (Art Gallery of Alberta) and to the Stanley Milner Library for activities. So afterwards, they come to city hall and have lunch here. There is a bit of lego in the mayor's office. My kids are going to hang out with me there from time to time.

Like many Edmonton families who work shift work, or who volunteer, we are busy too, but we're not any different than other families in Edmonton. We'll find time for family.

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Will you find the time to go trick-or-treating with your kids?

My schedule has been open for a while, but now it's jamming up really quickly. Sarah pointed out to me night that Halloween is this week and we need to make the time to do this. Thank goodness I have it scheduled in there. That will be a family and a private thing -- no photo ops.

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Will the average Joe ever see you sipping a pint at a pub? Will you be that kind of mayor?

Yeah, someone asked me if I changed much in the last six years, but hopefully I've learned a few things. I don't think my personality has really changed. I don't think being a city councillor really changed me that much.

I was riding the LRT (Thursday) and it was a little bit weird because I had comfortable anonymity. The odd constituent would come and say hi, but (by Thursday) night, pretty much everyone knew who I was. But I also heard back from people who say they were really impressed that I was still taking the train. I am going to keep doing that when it makes sense, when I've got a full day at city hall. I am going to sit on patios like every other Edmontonian wants to do. I am going to be accessible to the public and be accessible for sure.

Now I want to continue to excite people about how amazing a place Edmonton is to live. I want to live an active lifestyle like other Edmontonians so that I can model the kind of excitement they're feeling.

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How do you stay fit, how do you stay active?

It has been a little more of a challenge this last little while. I try to ride my bike to work one or two days a week, but I don't know how that's going to work around the mayor's schedule. I may not be able to do that as much. For me cycling is mainly about health. It's some of the only exercise I get and I will continue to do that.

Don Lowry (former EPCOR CEO) has told me he wants me to get into a triathlon. I am going to be training for the triathlon next year, which will be pretty cool. I'm not promising anything, but I am intrigued"¦, but my knees are a little wobbly. The biking and swimming I can handle. The running I'm not so sure about.

I also do pilates -- it sounds weird, but it is really good for my back problems because I have had a couple of car accidents. You have to strengthen the core and that's the best way to do it. And the theoretically you are supposed to get enough sleep to function, but lately that hasn't happened.

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During the election campaign you made a stop at the Edmonton Comic and Entertainment Expo last month. Are you a sci-fi, comic nerd?

I am a bit of a Star Trek nerd. That's out there and I can't hide that anymore. In junior high school that wasn't cool"¦ It's just an escape. It's just kind of fun to see the guy who play Dr. (Leonard) McCoy. We had a pretty good picture together.

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Do you play any instruments? Can you sing?

No. I used to play the trombone way back in the day, but I haven't touched it for a long time.

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Do you cook? Can you change your own oil, tires?

I used to be able to do more things like that. I am pretty handy; I renovated our 1954 house -- not single-handedly. I can do anything home-improvement wise. My dad taught me how to use tools. I don't do car maintenance because that is even harder to do now with everything that's computerized. When it comes to home-improvement stuff, I am a weekend warrior.

I like the idea of cooking, I am not terrible at it. I would much rather go out to one of Edmonton's exceptional restaurants.

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Will you ever get tired of the photo-ops? Do you like talking to the media?

I worked in media and I understand the role of the media, in some ways, is to be a bit of a conduit. I can't talk to 840,000 people one-on-one. Media plays a key role there and it's a good accountability for us to. I never shied away from the media in the six years that I have been in this building. That's not going to change just because I have a different office ... I received some flak about riding a wooden horse (during a photo op this week), but that's politics.

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Have you ever been to a war-torn country?

I've been to developing countries and seen what infrastructure is like there, where there has been some conflict. For good reason, I've tried to stay out of (war-zones). I've been to places where you can still see the aftermath, where you can see bullet holes in blown up buildings. It's pretty sobering.

We do have potholes, but at least we have roads. There are parts of the world where there are infrastructure that is really non-existent.

Do you prefer wine or beer?

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I prefer wine. I like beer, but it doesn't sit with me very well.

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In one word, how would you describe Edmonton's new city council?

Eager