Katz names rookie councillor as deputy mayor

Last Updated: Wednesday, November 1, 2006 | 4:42 PM CT

CBC News

Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz has named first-time councillor Brenda Leipsic as his deputy and revealed his executive policy committee, which prompted criticism from one councillor disappointed with the choices.

Leipsic was elected in the River Heights-Fort Garry ward in the Oct. 25 civic election, defeating incumbent Donald Benham with nearly 42 per cent of the vote. Katz had endorsed Leipsic and several other candidates during the fall election campaign.

The rest of Katz's executive policy committee, or municipal "cabinet," has a mix of new faces and long-time committee members. The other members announced Wednesday are:

• Coun. Russ Wyatt (Transcona) — chair, downtown development.
• Coun. Mike O'Shaugnessy (Old Kildonan) — chair, finance.
• Coun. Justin Swandel (St. Norbert) — chair, property and development.
• Coun. Gord Steeves (St. Vital) — chair, protection and community services.
• Coun. Bill Clement (Charleswood-Tuxedo) — chair, infrastructure renewal and public works.

Steeves, O'Shaughnessy and Clement retain the same portfolios they held before the election.

Swandel was brought into the executive policy committee last year as chair of the city's "alternative service delivery" committee. He takes over the property development chair from Peter de Smedt, who did not seek re-election in the St. Charles ward.

Wyatt takes over the downtown development portfolio from former St. Boniface councillor Franco Magnifico, who was defeated by Dan Vandal.

In addition to the committee appointments, Katz named Point Douglas councillor and former deputy mayor Mike Pagtakhan as chair of the Winnipeg housing steering committee.

"I think this is a very good cross-section. There's people of different ideologies," Katz said Wednesday.

"There's some people who don't have an ideology or have never been a card-carrying member. I think it's a cross-section of people willing to speak up — some with experience, some with less, some brand new."

Some disappointment

But Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry councillor Jenny Gerbasi said she was disappointed with Katz's choices for his inner circle.

"What we have after these appointments today is we have an all-white, almost all-male, and all-suburban group of councillors," Gerbasi said Wednesday.

She said the mayor also missed an opportunity by leaving out St. Boniface councillor Dan Vandal, who had previously been a councillor from 1995 until 2004 and was briefly acting mayor when Glen Murray stepped down earlier in 2004.

"He is an aboriginal person, he is an experienced person, and he would have been a great addition," Gerbasi said.

"It would have shown that the mayor was willing to work with all members of council, that it wasn't just yes men and yes women that he wanted at his side."