Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 23, 2004, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press Winnipeg votes wednesday june 23, 2004 b2 meet your new City councillors Donald Benham River Heights fort Garry by Paul Egan d Onald Benham an sex journalist who was communications director for former Winnipeg mayor Glen Murray won a six Candi Date race last night to succeed Garth Steek As the City councillor for River Heights fort Garry. Benham said that in one sense the race came Down to potholes. But he Felt there was something More at work. The Short answer is people want their roads fixed he said. The Long answer is Way More complicated ? the Long answer has to do with Benham had 7,011 votes to 4,227 for John Orlikov his nearest challenger. Elaine Cowan had 3,897 votes Ken Wong had 2,959, Brook Jones had 1,554 and Jocelyn Greenwood had 635. Orlikov said he will shift his focus Back to his school Board duties. Donald did a fantastic Job Orlikov said. The seat was held since 1995 by Garth Steek who often battled with Murray and briefly challenged him for the mayors seat in 2002 before opting to keep his Council seat and withdrawing from the race. This year Steek resigned his seat to wage an unsuccessful Battle in a wide open mayors race loaded with marquee names. Although Steek was popular in the Ward Benham said his close ties to Mur Ray ? who quit As mayor to run As a lib eral in next mondays Federal election ? proved an asset in the race. Benham 49, said he shares much of Murray a vision and wants a rapid Tran sit system linking the University of Manitoba with the downtown. He also favours City funding for the arts. Benham said last night his first two priorities will be improving the roads and ensuring the Kenaston underpass gets built. I a looking Forward to working with Sam Katz As mayor he said. He a proven himself to have a lot of vision and a lot of entrepreneurial Benham who got his Start As a reporter with Job radio in 1972, has also worked for Csc radio the Winnipeg Tribune and the Winnipeg Sun. He was a press assistant to former prime minister Joe Clark worked As director of Public relations at the University of Winnipeg and taught journalism at red River College. Franco Magnifico St. Boniface by Aldo Santin businessman Franco Magnifico took a Surprise Victory in the St. Boniface by election last night winning the City Council seat Over two popular francophone candidates. The first thing i a going to do is get in there and see what a going on at City Hall Magnifico 49, said. St. Boniface expects its fair share and that a what i a going to make sure Magnifico had 7,610 votes to 5,798 for Roland Marcoux 2,003 for Tom Scott 1,737 for Emile chartier 1,071 for Marcel Boville 1,040 for Murray Cliff and 653 for Derek Hay. Magnifico entered the Norwood Community Centre accompanied by his wife Jean to a thunderous Roar from the almost 200 people waiting for him. Franco Franco the crowd repeat edly chanted As Magnifico a barrel chested Man hugged and kissed supporters and friends. He posed for photographs with his father Giuseppe and his son Eric. Magnifico said his Victory broke the grip on the Ward that seemed to be dominated by the old St. Boniface residents association. Magnifico bested Roland Marcoux the current president of the residents group and Emile chartier the residents groups past president. St. Boniface Franco Magnifico Roland Marcoux Tom Scott Emile chartier Marcel Boville Murray Cliff Derek Hay 38% 29% 10% 9% 5% 5% 3% results do not add up to 100% due to rounding River Heights fort Garry Donald Benham John Orlikov Elaine Cowan Ken Wong Brook Jones Jocelyn Greenwood 35% 21% 19% 15% 8% 3% results do not add up to 100% due to rounding this shows that this is the time for a change in St. Boniface Magnifico who lives on Lyndale drive in Norwood Flats said. This election Means that the voices in Royal Wood and South Dale will get heard at City with the voices from old St. Magnifico topped the Field of seven candidates who were hoping to replace Dan Vandal who gave up a Council seat that appeared to be his for life for a Chance to become mayor. I a looking Forward to working with Sammy Magnifico said when told that the popular Katz had won a landslide Victory in the mayoral race. Magnifico the former owner of the St. Boniface hotel campaigned on a Promise to revive Provencher Boule Vard As the Corydon Street of St. Boniface. Dps Swan wins the race in Minto by Mia Rabson for Andrew Swan this week was All about running. He ran half a Marathon on sunday and last night he ran to Victory in the Minto by election. Swan will become the newest nip la after earning the provincial seat in Minto with 2,664 votes compared to 1,462 for Liberal Wayne Helgason 562 for conservative David Laurence and 107 for the communist party a Cheryl Anne Carr. The results Are unofficial until elections Manitoba certifies them Friday. Swan who will leave his Job As a fam ily lawyer with Thompson Dorfman Sweatman to move Over to the Legisla Ture was close to tears in his Victory speech last night. Wow he said. This is a great night for the Minto results Andrew Swan nip 56% Wayne Helgason Liberal 30% David Laurence conservative 12% Cheryl Anne Carr communist 2% Swan said he was successful because the nip represents Hope for the Riding Home to the third poorest postal code area in Canada. In his Victory speech he said he was already moving on a plan with the Winnipeg police and other Las to crack Down on Johns and pimps who have made prostitution a mainstay in the West end. We re going to do this right ? we re not just going to sweep the women off the streets he said. Premier Gary doer was jubilant at the Victory. We did to take this for granted he said. You got out there and worked the old fashioned Way ? door to door and Street to doer also paid tribute to Maryann Mihaychuk whose resignation prompted the by election. Mihaychuk was unsuccessful last night in her bid to become Winnipeg a mayor. Maryann Mihaychuk was a great member of the legislature doer said. She built up a very Strong Community last Spring Mihaychuk won the provincial Riding with 3,586 votes. At 47 per cent voter turnout there yesterday was virtually identical to the one in 2003. Helgason More than doubled the lib eral vote from 2003 so while he was unhappy about losing he said it was a step Forward for the party. The Liberal candidate last year got just 685 votes. Job As executive director of the social i think some of the issues we had res planning Council of Winnipeg. He took donated Helgason said. I think the an unpaid leave of absence for the Manitoba liberals provided a Clear def election. Ignition of social issues.?. Helgason will return on monday to his Campaign organizers moved the votes volunteers phoned provided rides to polls by Patti Edgar Campaign organizers who had predicted a ground War in the Battle for mayor deployed hundreds of volunteers yesterday to work for your vote. Across Winnipeg volunteers were dialling their candidates supporters offering rides to the polls and display ing signs. In Sam Katz a Campaign Headquarters on Portage Avenue yesterday afternoon about a dozen volunteers were working the phones. Katz was upstairs on his cellphone personally answering a stack of yellow and Pink messages from voters an uneaten subway Sandwich at his Side. I know the reality is we Don to have the same kind of Campaign machines that some of the others have Katz said. They be been working on this for six months. They be got an army. But i am putting my Faith in the there were about 30 vehicles on stand i am by to shuttle Katz supporters to the putting my polls with volunteers Faith in the like Norm Starink in a Cowboy hat and voters snakeskin tie at the ? Sam Katz wheel. former Deputy mayor Dan Vandal was expected to be better organized than Katz especially with Union endorsement but at midday his Provencher Boulevard Headquarters was Low key. Volunteers were munching on plates of veggies and fruit gearing up for the chaos to come. In a Back room five peo ple were dialling supporters and urging them to vote and organizers said another two dozen were calling from Home. Gerry Lavallee the brain behind Van dals election Day machine would to offer Many details about the Vandal strategy. As Many As 200 volunteers were play ing a variety of roles including callers Drivers and neighbourhood co Ordina tors he said. At lunch hour Young sup porters with signs were marching up and Down Osborne Street. Another candidate expected to have a Strong election Day team was Maryann Mihaychuk a seasoned politician and for Mer nip la. She woke up Early to help drive seniors to the polls and had breakfast with her Campaign team at Salisbury House. At her Headquarters about a dozen people worked the phones and another 15 were Dri if any Neving voters to the needed a polls. Well known Mem ride we Bers of the sikh Fil provided it Iping portuguese ? Brock Golden and chilean communities outside the office were also on the phones. In neighbourhoods with a lot of sup porters teams of Mihaychuk workers rang doorbells trailed by a minivan ready to run voters to polling stations. Al Golden a Campaign Headquarters in the St. Vital hotel which he owns was quiet yesterday afternoon with just a few supporters working the phones. But the Golden retriever the free bus service he operates for seniors was going Flat out according to his son and Campaign manager Brock Golden. Six buses with capacity ranging from 20 to 45 passengers depending on the Type were expected to move More than 1,000 voters before the polls closed at 8 . About six busloads of seniors were taken to the polls from a single Complex in St. Vital but service was provided across the City. It did to matter if they were voting for us or not Golden said. If anyone needed a ride we provided the Campaign also had about 50 volunteers using their own cars to get sup porters to the polls Golden noted. ? with files from Jason Bell and David Obrien. Coburn Daoust win Louis Riel division by elections by Nick Martin Veteran trustee Hugh Coburn and Rookie Mike Daoust won seats yesterday on the Louis Riel school division school Board. Coburn ? a 16-year Veteran of the for Mer St. Boniface school division Board ? easily won his Ward 4 by election in South St. Boniface last night and Rookie Daoust won a tighter race in Ward 3 in South St. Vital. Aided by a mayoral race and a Council by election in Ward 4, the two by elections Drew phenomenal turnouts of More than 50 per cent of the eligible voters. In the last six stand alone school trustee by elections held in Large divisions in or around Winnipeg voter turnout has ranged from just 7.36 per cent to 10.36 per cent and the winning candidate has needed from 367 to 1,070 votes. Coburn took 7,312 votes last night Well ahead of Patrick Leblanc a 4,912. That a a 61.5 per cent turnout. Daoust had 5,121, followed by Monique Ethier at 4,463 and Todd scoletto at 2,794 ? a voter turnout of 58.1 per cent. Coburn credited the mayoral race for bringing out huge numbers of voters his name recognition As a longtime trustee helped him said Coburn a retired police officer who now co ordinates Volun Teers for the downtown Biz. Hell get right to work number 1 is additional programming for special needs number 2 is the crammed Island lakes Community school and the other thing is administrative costs at the High est Levels Coburn said. Louis Riel has been struggling with huge residential growth in the far South especially in the Island lakes Royal Wood and River Park South subdivisions. The doer government had refused to build new schools or expand crowded schools instead telling the division to move suburban students to empty desks in older neighbourhoods. Daoust a certified financial planner said he was hearing from voters that the Quality of education is going Down and taxes Are going up. The most com Mon theme was taxes. One of the biggest priorities is to review amalgamation costs and look for savings in administration Daoust said. Daoust succeeds Carolyne Lynch who resigned earlier this year for Undis closed personal reasons. Coburn takes the seat on the nine member Board left vacant when Laura Reimer resigned in april. The seven trustees had refused to Grant her an excused absence after she missed Sev eral Board meetings which Reimer said was for medical reasons. ;