Tories, NDP line up for seat
Battle begins to replace city councillor
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/07/2011 (4907 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
One day after retiring St. Vital Coun. Gord Steeves made a plea for a less partisan city hall, the race to replace him has already turned into a battle between Tory and NDP candidates.
Progressive Conservative Greg Nordman is expected to declare his candidacy today in the St. Vital byelection that will be triggered by Steeves’ impending resignation.
Nordman, a salesman for coffee distributor Quality Vending, is the brother of two-term St. Charles Coun. Grant Nordman, who serves as council speaker.
Their father, Ric Nordman, also served as a St. Charles councillor.
The conservative’s entry sets up a right-left battle with lawyer Brian Mayes, a New Democrat who declared his candidacy last month when Steeves announced his resignation from council.
A longtime federal Liberal, Steeves intends to resign his seat on council in August as a prelude for a fall provincial election as the Tory candidate in Seine River. No Liberal successor has come forward as of yet to run for council in St. Vital.
On Wednesday, before the conclusion of his last council meeting, Steeves lamented the increasingly partisan nature of the supposedly non-partisan city council.
Officially, there are no parties at city hall. But every member of council is aligned with a political party, either as a card-carrying party member or through affiliations with political staff.
Steeves’ departure leaves council with six Conservatives, five New Democrats and four Liberals, either through membership or affiliation. Small-C conservative Mayor Sam Katz calls himself independent but has a Tory policy director and a Tory chief of staff.
If Steeves resigns in early August, the St. Vital byelection likely will be held in November. Byelections are typically held 12 to 14 weeks after the resignation of a councillor, said Marc Lemoine, the city’s senior election official.
bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca