Magnifico in as sole left-leaning woman Thomas gets the boot
Winnipeg Free Press
Tuesday, November 1st, 2005
By Mary Agnes Welch
MAYOR Sam Katz shuffled his powerful cabinet yesterday, dumping the lone left-leaning woman and promoting what some critics called right-wing "yes men."
That sparked a war of words between Katz and his chief adversaries on council -- Donald Benham and Jenny Gerbasi, the duo known as "Jenham."
"This represents a consolidation of the mayor's power and a quieting of alternative points of view," charged Gerbasi. "We now have a group that thinks like the mayor and will do whatever he says."
Benham said the shuffle leaves no one on the mayor's executive policy committee to champion a rapid transit system, the environment or other traditionally left-of-centre causes.
As part of a routine shuffle, Katz punted long-serving councillor Lillian Thomas, an NDPer who has voted against several of Katz's initiatives, including the privatization of garbage collection. She was also the only woman on EPC -- important because Katz has been criticized for hiring an almost all-male cabal of political and policy staffers.
Katz also demoted Jae Eadie, who has served several mayors as an EPC councillor since 1981.
But Eadie had a soft landing. The St. James representative will put his encyclopedic knowledge of city hall's rules to use as council's new speaker.
In their place, Katz promoted Franco Magnifico, who is leading the charge to rid city hall of red tape, and Mike O'Shaughnessy, a veteran councillor who is seen as pro-development and pro-business.
The six-person executive policy committee is city hall's powerhouse, and membership boosts a councillor's salary from about $54,000 to $66,000.
Most decisions at city hall are made first by EPC in secret weekly gatherings around the mayor's boardroom table, making public meetings little more than a formality. Once a policy initiative reaches council, EPC councillors then vote in a bloc, virtually guaranteeing their collective will carries the day.
Some councillors, including Transcona's Russ Wyatt, said yesterday's shuffle threatens to further polarize council, with left-leaning members banished to the back benches where they have little chance to influence city policy.
Benham, one of the mayor's loudest critics, agreed, saying one of EPC's roles is to reflect the diverse views on council, a role Katz has abandoned.
Backbench councillors collectively have just enough votes to buck Katz and his cabinet, but that almost never happens since many aspire to one day be promoted to EPC.
Asked whether he earned a spot on EPC because he had toed the mayor's line for the last 18 months, Coun. Franco Magnifico turned the tables on reporters.
"How do you know the mayor isn't toeing my line?" he shot back.
Katz also balked at the suggestion that his EPC is now made up of sycophants.
"Give me a break. That's just so stupid," he said. "That's an insult to those who have been elected to serve."
Katz specifically lambasted Benham, comparing him to Dorothy's companions in the Wizard of Oz.
"No brain, no heart, no courage. That's a pretty apropos description of a certain councillor I know," said Katz. "I think councillor Benham has made so many ludicrous comments that people no longer take him seriously."
The EPC shuffle will be formalized at a special council meeting tomorrow.
maryagnes.welch@freepress.mb.ca