Just one month shy of Sam Katz's 10th anniversary as mayor, critics say his legacy will be one of disappointment, while the mayor says he's still the same Sam Winnipeg elected in 2004.

He began as a political outsider, moving from the CEO of the Winnipeg Goldeyes to the mayor's chair in a whirlwind 20-day campaign 10 years ago in June.

Katz's former budget advisor Brian Kelcey remembers that optimistic time, when people championed him as the man whose business sense would help the city and would get things done.

"The most charitable way to put it, is that his biggest legacy is one of disappointing Winnipeg," he said. "They thought they were electing a guy who cared about the city and would work to fix it ... His legacy is that you can really can hang on for 10 years as a part-time mayor."

Instead, Kelcey paints the picture of a man who came into the position over his head, unable to make decisions and disengaged with his job.

"We actually did a lot of good things in those first few years, but a lot of that was by staff working on Sam's behalf, with a limited interest by Sam on what staff was doing in his name," he said.

In response to his former advisor's comments, Katz noted that Kelcey now lives in Toronto and he "won't bother responding to someone who isn't in Winnipeg." Kelcey left his position with the mayor in 2008.

Reflecting on his years as mayor, Katz names a list of things he has accomplished. He notes the business tax decrease, his work in establishing P3s, the creation of the 311 city service, to name a few. He doesn't have any regrets, but wishes things could move faster in civic politics and that his long standing lobby to the province to acquire 1% of the PST could come to fruition.

"It's not a matter of regrets, it's are you happy with the direction that the city is going in," Katz said. "Are there things we might have changed or done differently? That's a possibility."

Colin Craig, the prairie director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, believes it is Katz's last term he will most be remembered for. He rattled of a laundry list of issues that have all transpired in the last four years, including the fire hall scandal, the property tax increases and the police headquarters cost overruns.

"It's unfortunate because he started out doing a number of good things such as freezing property taxes, reducing the business tax, reducing government costs." he said. "But then after a few years, he started to become like other politicians and start raise taxes rather than doing the heavy lifting."

Katz insists he still the same guy elected with great celebration in 2004.

"My personality and my makeup hasn't changed. I'm still the individual who is not afraid to do what everyone else will tell you cannot be done," he said.

kristin.annable@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @kristinannable

Road to reelection daunting for Katz

With the mayoral race kicking into gear, it is unknown whether Mayor Sam Katz will be running.

However, critics and polls say if he does decide to run, it is unlikely he’ll get reelected.

The third-term mayor said he will make the announcement of whether he will run next month.

The last polling was done in February by CJOB/Global and placed Katz at a distant third with only 12% of respondents’ support.

Colin Craig, prairie director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation, says all the issues from his last term will make it a difficult sell to voters.

“I don’t think it is possible for him to win, that’s my own take,” Craig said. “If the Sam Katz from the early days had continued throughout his term he probably could have got reelected, but there is too many problems that have arisen.”

Technically, Katz has until Sept. 16 to decide whether he will run for the Oct. 22 election.

It’ll be a tough race, with a stack of right-of-centre candidates, plus the high-polling numbers of former NDP MP Judy Wasylycia-Leis, who has yet to declare.

Katz’s former budget advisor agrees with Craig. Brian Kelcey worked under the mayor for four years and is now running the campaign for Toronto mayoral candidate David Soknacki.

“Ultimately I can’t see a scenario where Sam can win,” Kelcey said. “He never was a politician in the first place, so the kind of sensibility he would need to navigate through all these other candidates and create a positive ballot question for people isn’t there anymore.”

With the real estate audit on its way, coupled with the flack he has taken from the fire hall scandal and police headquarters cost overruns, Kelcey can’t see a point in Katz wanting to take on a fourth term.

“It is not going to get any better,” he said. “He had two years of being beaten into the ground and I think rightly held responsible for carelessness and indifference at city hall ... Even if he won — somehow — it is going to be another three or four years more of tough questions and accusations.”



— Annable

Next month will mark the 10th anniversary for Sam Katz as mayor of Winnipeg. Here’s a look at his top gains and gaffes.

Five good things Katz did for Winnipeg

1) The business tax: Making good on his 2004 campaign pledge, the tax has dropped from 9.75% to 5.7% in 2014.

2) Privatized garbage pick-up: Despite some hiccups and some missed pickups, the decision to contract out waste collection has saved the city upwards of $3 million annually since 2005.

3) Recreation in the city: Sherbrook Pool reopening, Assiniboine Park Conservancy and the multiple spray pads across the city can all be attributed to the work of Katz and his council.

4) More cops, less crime: In the last 10 years, crime has decreased significantly in the city. Under Katz, more police were hired, including adding in cadets to maintain crime scenes and other duties. However, Winnipeg still remains among the highest violent-crime cities in Canada.

5) The use of P3s: Prior to Katz, Private-Public Partnerships were largely unheard of for Winnipeg. Championed as the “P3 Politician” in the early days, major projects like the Chief Peguis extension project and Disraeli Bridge were delivered on time and on budget.

Five missteps under Katz

1) The fire hall debacle: The controversial land swap deal led to cries of corruption and favouritism at city hall. In the end Katz’s personal friend, CAO Phil Sheegl, would resign amidst the controversy.

2) Police headquarters budget woes: The construction of the new headquarters at the old Canada Post Building has been rife with budgetary woes. The final cost has risen to $210 million from its original price tag of $135 million, after it was approved with only 30% design completion.

3) Property tax increases: Although the city enjoyed six years under Katz with no increases, taxes have gone up for the last four years.

4) Bus Rapid Transit: From BRT to LRT and back, the transit file for the city has been a mess. Katz shelved former mayor Glen Murray’s plan, then began pushing for LRT, then built Phase 1 of BRT. Now the city is awash with woes as the P3 application for phase two is in, but faces fierce opposition from other councillors.

5) Phil Sheegl: The former CAO and personal friend of Katz has been a thorn in the city’s side since Katz pushed to hire him in 2008. The fire hall scandal has largely been blamed by decisions made by Sheegl, as well years of mismanagement within the senior administration.