Leading candidates for mayor make final push for votes

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This article was published 24/10/2022 (747 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

With just a few hours to go before Wednesday’s municipal election, the candidates at the front of the pack running for mayor made their final attempt to win over voters, each insisting they are confident their message has resonated most with Winnipeggers.

For Glen Murray, it would be a return to the top position on city council; he served as the city’s mayor 1998 to 2004.

Murray said he felt “super excited” and “optimistic” about his chances of resuming the role.

“The response of people has just been really incredibly positive,” he said. “People are really excited again. People say, ‘I remember when you were mayor… we got the debt down, we got the gas tax, the downtown was rocking.’”

A Free Press-CTV Winnipeg poll conducted by Probe Research in September had Murray ahead of the other 10 candidates with 40 per cent support among decided voters. A Leger poll commissioned and publicly released by mayoral contender Scott Gillingham’s campaign early this month put Murray at 28 per cent support among decided voters, followed by Gillingham at 19 per cent, Kevin Klein at 14 and Shaun Loney at 13.

But in recent days, political experts suggested a tighter race with no clear front-runner.

Murray said he has tried not to pay too much attention to the polls but feels confident.

“I think the race always tightens (near the end). Every mayoralty election I’ve been in, it’s been tightened,” he said.

Gillingham said he’s proud of the campaign he ran.

“I’m feeling great, with one day to go, I’ve got an outstanding team. I’m really pleased with the policy and plans we’ve put in place,” he said Tuesday during a marathon visit to all 15 council wards. “We’re getting really good reception all over the city…. We wanted to be in a very close race by the time we got to the final week. I believe we’re in that close race but I am confident that people appreciate the clear and credible plan that I’ve put in place to build a stronger Winnipeg.”

Loney, who was the first to announce his intention to run 18 months ago, said he’s confident his team will finish strong.

“We’ve put everything we’ve had into this,” he said. “We’re in a very good position going into tomorrow, we feel. We have 150 volunteers, at least, that are going to be out tomorrow pulling the vote, and we’re looking forward to those results coming in.”

Klein said he expects his platform to control costs and reduce crime will resonate with voters.

“I feel very good about it… I’m hearing from a lot of people that taxpayers are frustrated. They do not want massive tax increases, they absolutely do not want a major (property) frontage fee increase and they want somebody who is going to tackle crime,” said Klein.

“I’m actually feeling very, very positive that … come Oct. 26 in the evening, there’s going to be a swell of Klein supporters because we are offering what residents want.”

While many candidates completed their list of pledges earlier, Loney was still at it Tuesday, promising to seek provincial government approval to add new rules for civic elections.

That would include a requirement that all mayoral candidates publish a fully costed platform before advance voting begins, though he acknowledged that may not survive a court challenge.

“If you’re running for mayor of a big city, I think you should come out with a fully costed platform and tell us where you get the money from,” he said.

He’s also proposing a rule that would force candidates to estimate and share the value their frontage fee increases would amount to if levied through a property tax hike. And he called for ways to reduce political interference in ranking major infrastructure projects, though details would be determined through discussions with the province.

Meanwhile, candidate Rick Shone announced a final $12 million promise to revitalize the Alexander Docks. Shone said the design would be determined through a competition, and could include space for gatherings and river access for kayaks, canoes and fishing.

“Alexander Docks… has sat derelict since 2015 and is currently overgrown, unusable and a blight on our beautiful waterfront,” he said in a news release. “We need to focus on building more space for people and families in the downtown, and Alexander Docks is an important piece of the puzzle.”

He said the site should also include a permanent memorial for Tina Fontaine, whose 15-year-old body was found in the Red River, wrapped in a bag near the site in 2014. Her death, and the acquittal of the man charged in her killing, led to the creation of the national Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Meanwhile, in a press release, candidate Jenny Motkaluk urged Winnipeggers to support her and elect an “incorruptible” mayor.

“In the privacy of the voting booth, there are no cameras, no news media and no social media commenters. No one can harass you or try to cancel you for your beliefs about who is the best leader for City Hall,” wrote Motkaluk.

Polls will be open for Winnipeggers to cast their ballots from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga