The Race Is On
May 05, 2010
28, conservative, election, judy
With her announcement yesterday that she would be running for Mayor in this fall’s municipal election, former Manitoba MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis has entered the fray as the main (and perhaps only) competitor to incumbent Winnipeg mayor Sam Katz.
For her to be successful, she will have to become the first person to defeat an incumbent mayor since Stephen Juba unseated George Sharpe in 1957. It goes without saying that ousting a sitting mayor is a herculean task in Winnipeg. And it will be so for Wasylycia-Leis, especially if any other candidates enter the fray in the near future. However, now that there’s a viable centre-left candidate in the race it’s unlikely that any others of similar political bent will toss their hat into the proverbial ring.
But it’s certainly about time that Sam Katz had some serious competition. Since being elected in 2004 he’s had little in the way of challenges to his power and has managed to set up a City Council that largely follows his agenda. Although he claims not to be a politician he has been one in every significant sense. And though he may never have been a “card-carrying member” of any political party, his political leanings are well known. One only has to look at the collection of Mayor’s Office political staffers he’s gone through over the years – the vast majority have been Conservatives, including the last three Chiefs of Staff.
Although Katz claims to be Mayor of “all of Winnipeg,” it’s clear he represents business interests more than anything else, and has (until recently, when he realized he’d have some competition) staunchly avoided attending community cultural events. If by this he means that he received large percentages of the vote in all areas of the city, he’s right. But being mayor of all means so much more than this.
What many hope is that Wasylycia (if she is elected) is the anti-Katz; that she believes that the Mayor should represent and speak for all Winnipeggers, not just those prominent enough to have access to his inner chamber; that she endeavours to create an open, transparent and accountable government that isn’t run behind closed doors; and to make us proud to be part of this great City once again.
For Wasylycia-Leis to be successful she will have to run a very smart campaign. She will have to reach out to moderate liberals and conservatives if she hopes to be able to make a serious run at the mayor’s chair. And smart moves like speaking French wherever possible – as she did at her campaign announcement – will only appeal to a greater amount of Winnipeggers. And she will have to announce realistic and practical policies that fit into a budget largely dictated by another level of government. Most importantly, she will have to find a way to appeal to soft-Katz supporters.
There are no shortages of challenges facing “just Judy.” But here’s hoping she gives Katz one hell of a race this October.
Comments
Comments are now closed
I don't think you should be endorsing an NDP candidate and talking about open and transparent government, our present government is not very transparent when dealing with its employees or in they way they hide the facts from the people of Manitoba, stick to Union issues please.
Jim - 2010-05-05 14:04
Can you tell me why we can post this kind of dialogue when my friend Jim - who posted the comment couldn't post an article which dealt with the salaries of the Union staff that we pay dues to compensate? I can't imagine how you will answer this in some transparent form!
Susan - 2010-05-06 13:11
Dear Jim and Susan, I have recently seen the emails which have been circulating on email (government email, which could result in some ramifications for members). The collective agreement quoted is ACTE, which is the union that represents the MGEU staff and bargains their collective agreement. All collective agreements are available from the Manitoba Labour Board, on request. These agreements are not public documents as is The Civil Service collective agreement – which as you know is posted on the internet along with all the provincial civil services collective agreements across the country. The facts are: 1) the MGEU staff bargain for their wages and benefits just like every bargaining committee and their wages and benefits have to be in line with other union wages, i.e. CUPE, UFCW, Steelworkers, etc. 2) Their collective agreement is approved by the MGEU Board of Directors, an elected body from the membership 3) Any member can run for position in our union, up to and including President, sit on the board, committees and advisory groups and have a say in these decisions. Also, have any members checked out the collective agreements of other union’s staff? Do we fall in line with wages of other unions? We should ask those kinds of questions and do the research before circulating any information demeaning our union and the staff who work hard for us day to day (way beyond 9 to 5) for rights and our protection. In solidarity, D.S. Navitka
DNavitka - 2010-05-07 07:24
Jim you should realize that politics, whether we like it or not, is a union issue. Almost every MGEU member is impacted by decisions made by politicians, and while most MGEU members are affected by decisions made at the provincial level, some MGEU members work for the city of Winnipeg, so a change in Mayor has a big impact on their jobs. I'm still not sure if Judy is the answer but I look forward to a race in which Sam has some meaningful competition.
Jerry - 2010-05-07 09:45
Dear Susan and Jim, I have been a member and an activist with the MGEU for more than 15 years. I'm betting you guys have never been to a meeting or have ever gone to a convention. Get involved if you have problems instead of just sitting behind a computer and telling everyone how bad the MGEU is. If you ever got involved in union activity maybe then you would see how much the staff at the MGEU care for its members. Also if you have such a problem with unions then maybe you should go work for a private company. It's always easy to complain about things then actually do some research and get involved with what’s going on. Just a side note, whomever sent the petition through government email should contact their union staff rep because you are in violation of misuse of government emails. You are not allowed to send union business through government email.
Hank - 2010-05-07 12:45
I don't know why my name is being included in the above responses, my response relates to candidate endorsement, surely my fellow members don't think they are being fairly treated by the present government?
Jim - 2010-05-07 13:25
Probably because of the comment by Susan, May 6, 2010. Maybe you're the wrong Jim!!!?????
G - 2010-05-08 14:09
As for Hanks comments, this Jim has been an active member more than twice as long as he has and attended countless meetings and attended conventions, I am entitled to share my comments through this blog site.
Jim - 2010-05-10 12:08
Jim if you're so involved with the union I don't understand how you don't get how the process works and that the MGEU staff bargains there agreement just like you and I which is approved by an elected committee. If you have a problem with the system get elected and involved.
Hank - 2010-05-11 15:56
"Hank" You once again have strayed off topic. Let's get back on to what was my original point! First of all, I'm not the author of the petition, nor did I send it through govt email . Now, what I did comment on was the MGEU sponsoring Judy W for Mayor. The MGEU should be non-partisan as all members are not NDP followers.
Jim - 2010-05-11 22:31
I am behind you Jim 100%, the MGEU should not be endorsing any person with any political party. I have seen the MGEU's collective agreement and cannot beleive what all they are entitled too. I do attend as many meetings as possible but am starting to lose confidence in our union.
Bruce - 2010-05-12 17:50