Winnipeg's Municipal Election & vested interest

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Well, the BEST CITY IN CANADA™ -Winnipeg - is having a Municipal race this fall. While there is not partisan politics at the civic level in Winnipeg, there are ideological factions - the centre-left and the centre-right. The Winnipeg Centre-left had gained a very tenuous control over city council from 1998 to 2004 with Glenn Murray as mayor (who was, incidentally, the first openly gay mayor of a major North American City.

Now, there's some controversy because Manitoba's centre-left provincial New Democratic Party is endorsing council candidates. Apparently, that's against the spirit of city council and is provincial "interference" in civic politics.

The problem is that the present mayor (the centre-right Sam Katz) has an office staffed with quite a few former provincial conservatives and admits that businesses "interfere" to help the centre right:

I'd just like to point out to all those Americans who complain about me talking about American politics on a political debate forum filled primarily by Americans that this is why I avoid local issues - nobody CARES about them.

woops, click the wrong box, meant to vote big business influence is bad and small is good

I'd really say it depends on whether the issue is one where the business community really does have a information that muncipal policymakers don't have yet need to make effective policies or whether it's the business community just asserting its will because they want lucrative city contracts or oligopolic market power. Naturally, it all depends on numerous details that need to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis - but I certainly think that the business community (particularly businesses linked to businessman mayor Sam Katz) have WAY to much influence in Winnipeg.

Party politics, while containing their share of detriments, is still - I think - a lot less corrosive then business interests (at least in a state capitalist country like Canada or America) as business influence isn't as transparent as partisan influence.

With the state of the north end, it is far more important to have a mayor supporting a social outreach program than business. Weather or not Judy would have been controlled by her party is moot as the benefit of a comprehensive outreach program coupled with responsible business taxes would have been the thing this city needed. Shame she didn't get elected

I was trying to figure out what city you were talking about, but then I realized you spelled WINTERPEG incorrectly. But dont worry. Soon the snow will fly; you'll be reminded.