Born on Crete, the largest and most populous island in Greece, Michael Petrakis moved to Canada when he was eight years old.

Since that time, he’s split his life between his home country and Canada.

“I lived (in Lethbridge) until I finished high school, then I moved back to Greece where I lived and worked in tourism and hospitality for a large part of my working life,” said Petrakis.

Several years ago he returned to Lethbridge and, in 2021, decided to run for city council.

With no ward system, Lethbridge voters can select up to eight councillors when they vote, leading to the number of votes cast surpassing the amount of eligible voters in the city.

Petrakis only amassed 406 votes out of over 164,000 cast — last among the city council candidates.

That said, defeat was only a speedbum

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