Winnipeg Municipal Election 2014
 

It's official now and the candidates can come out of the woodwork like so many termites. Let's talk about it.


Here's my take on the first 3 candidates:

Vogiatzakis: Al Golden redux. A criminal. A buffoon. And he doesn't even live in the city. I don't know how he runs a successful business and don't care enough to find out. I'll just assume he won it betting on a cock fight.

Gordon Warren: I love that he took down Shindleman in court, and Shitler's list is pretty funny. Still, I had no idea who this guy was until I looked him up, and despite the outcome of his court case I still think he's an anti-semite. His comments on the Free Press site suggest he thinks he's the shit and that we all owe him for unearthing the corruption at city hall. I appreciate his assholery, but he's still an asshole. I don't want an asshole mayor.

Gord Steves: I thought he was a jerkoff until today. He was on CBC and sounded thoughtful and reasonable. He said rapid transit shouldn't be a wedge issue and that the city needs it and fixed up streets. What a novel concept. He's the only legitimate candidate of the three so far, and hearing him talk makes me less hopeless about this election.

^haha love your posts biguc


I must admit I'm not too knowledgeable about the candidates. But my question would be who does everyone hope gets elected (and why), and who does everyone feel will end up in office?

Pure gold, pure gold my friend!:cheers:

The man's in the funeral business. If you're a sociopath intent to screw people out of everything you possibly can, there isn't a better target than a bunch of grieving kin...

My only problem with Steeves is that he's a bit of a flip flopper and an opportunist.

Agreed. I think he fits into the category of someone who wants the title but not really the job of mayor (which is the same category I'd put our current mayor in). In his years as a councilor, I always saw him more as a pragmatist who took issues on as they came with no real overarching vision for his ward or Winnipeg. He is a viable candidate though and he'll have a solid campaign.

The other two so far are not. Each time Vogiatzakis is mentioned in either newspaper there are more criminal convictions and civil lawsuits attached to his name. People will never vote for someone like that, especially someone who doesn't have a public profile or political history to draw away from all the stuff at the Law Courts.

Any confirmation as to whether Judy Wasylycia-leis is running again?

I'll take his description a bit further, Steeves is a douchebag!

In this topic: hopeless candidates.

Are there any other candidates besides the aforementioned 3? Because so far, they're all terrible. Is Wasalycia-Leis running again? Is Sammy running again?

I still say TrueVike would be the best candidate and he's not even running!;)

He would be a great mayor, unlike the folks at city hall, or any of the candidates.

Why would anyone with brains or vision run for mayor? It's a poor paying, thankless job. There are far easier ways to make a shitload more money than in civic politics.

Oh man, being the mayor is a super lucrative job. I'd be the mayor all day long. You ensure approval of all your development projects and direct public land and contracts to yourself by hiding behind a few partners and a couple corporations and you're well on the path after just a few years.

Being the mayor is actually an incredibly lucrative job if you do it right.

Same with council.

In what circles do you run that $170k a year is poor paying??

For that amount of money you, your family, friends and any business associates will be under the microscope for any business transactions that take place in the city.

You are also "on" 24/7 as the public and media expect you to be available to them for all sorts of interviews and complaints.

As well you have to "herd the cats" that make up city council.

I'll stay at my $50k a year job and not have the stress as will most sane people.

Brian Bowman and Gord Steeves are both lawyers, capable of making double that without breaking a sweat. Katz and the funeral guy are businessmen, same deal.

Judy Unionsdoasyouplease is probably pulling in that much in government pensions.

All without having their faces in public and continually being blasted with bad headlines and false accusations. I don't understand their motivations.

Ironic statement given that the great businessman himself, Katz, has more or less handed over the keys to the civic treasury to certain unions.

Personally, I don't think most mayoral candidates are in it for the money... it's a lot of work and a lot of responsibility for what you earn. Most serious contenders face either a pay cut if they're elected, or at best a marginal pay increase that is likely offset by the sheer amount of hours they put in on the job.

That said, I suspect that Katz falls more into the category of mayors described by Simplicity... and he also avoids the endless gatherings and rubber-chicken dinners that most mayors have to endure to get re-elected. When you think about it, Katz has had a pretty sweet ride over the past decade.

Most psychologists would agree... People do things for 1 of 3 reasons: to find love, to earn money, and to "change the world". I would say most (or all) people who are wanting to run don't have a need for more money, they just want to make their mark.

In other words, they are reaching for the "self actualization" stage? :D

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

I cant get past the fact Gord Steeves is an idiot (from personal experience) and struck me as just about the worst lawyer I've ever spoken to on any issue. But maybe he's changed over the years. The good news is, the "can't be worse than Sammy" mantra will make just about anyone look good for the first year or so.