Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - August 3, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba City Winnipeg free press thursday August 3, 2006 b3 one Way to eliminate Competition you know the infrastructure deficit is bad when. A Large decorative Light crashed Down on coun. Gord Steeves a desk in the Council Chambers yesterday morning smashing his keyboard and scattering Glass and debris on his chair and desk. The Light whose White Glass cover is about the size of a Large Coffee urn fell from councils Cathedral ceiling at about 7 a.m., almost exactly a week after coun cil a last meeting for the summer. Steeves who is a member of mayor Sam Katz a Cabinet and chairs councils Protection com Mittee wondered whether his rebellious committee was trying to stage a bloody coup. Then he turned an accusatory Eye on fellow councillor Justin Swan Del who is widely seen As the next politician to be promoted to Katz a Cabinet. When there a a vacancy. I want to know what those Nee dle nose pliers were doing in the front seat of coun. Swandell car joked Steeves. five councillors Lack opponents for october vote by Mary Agnes Welch i f the City holds an election and no one runs did it Ever really happen so far no one is running against five City councillors meaning those councillors May be acclaimed in this Falls civic election. The slow trickle of would be candidates who have dropped by City Hall to Register in recent weeks has to included anyone willing to Challenge Transcona a Russ Wyatt St. Vitals Gord Steeves St. Norbert a Justin Swan Del Mynarski a Harry Lazarenko civic election looks like Dull one or Elmwood a Lillian Thomas. That plus a to hum race for mayor has pundits and City election officials fearing a dismally Low turnout ? even lower than the 49 per cent who voted in 2002. Its widely acknowledged that real campaigning begins after labour Day and there a still More than six weeks left for candidates to submit their Nomina Tion papers. But serious candidates have normally announced their plans to run Gath ered a Campaign team and begun fundraising Well before then. There Are not even Many rumours or rumblings percolating from the five wards where councillors Are so far running unopposed. Deputy City clerk Marc Lemoine the City selection Boss said acclamations Are fairly common though five would be unfortunate. In 2002, three councillors including Steeves were acclaimed after no Candi dates stepped Forward to Challenge them. But that year saw a rough and Tumble race for mayor with former councillor Al Golden nipping at the heels of then mayor Glen Murray ? a race that generated significant interest. Still Only 49 per cent of voters bothered to cast a ballot. Our main goal is to ensure As Many people come out to vote As possible said Lemoine. Acclamations Are not a Good thing for democracy in in the last decade voter turnout has hovered Between 45 to 55 per cent ? much lower than the 60 to 75 per cent of voters who cast ballots in Federal elections. If it went below 40 per cent wed be very disappointed said Lemoine. But Lemoine said some cities see Only a Quarter of their citizens turn out to vote so Winnipeg a rate in to so bad. University of Winnipeg political scientist Chris Adams said he expects More candidates to emerge As summer wanes. And he noted some wards including the West end and St. Boniface Are shaping up to be High octane races. But if the Campaign for mayor goes As Many predict ? a cakewalk for mayor Sam Katz ? that will Dampen voter turnout. That in turn favours underdog challengers vying to unseat a sitting councillor especially if they have a Good Campaign machine. The looming election will also be crowded by Many of the same faces that have dominated City Hall for years. Only St. Charles coun. Peter de Smedt in to running for reelection a principled Deci Sion that buttresses his support for two term limits. Pollock illegally practising Law society alleges by Mary Agnes Welch mayoral candidate Ron Pollock is locked in a Battle with the Law society of Manitoba Over allegations he has been prac Tising Law without proper credentials. The Law society hired a private investigator to determine whether Pollock had been doing work Only lawyers Are permitted to do. The society recently won a temporary injunction barring Pollock from continuing with his paralegal business. But Pollock said he is entitled to represent people in some divorce matters and in some minor criminal cases. He said he a eagerly awaiting a judges formal ruling on the matter so he can return to his work. Meanwhile a woman is suing Pollock for $6,500, claiming he provided Legal advice and prepared documents in her divorce Case even though he want a lawyer. In a claim filed in april Claudette Marshall says she paid Pollock $5,000 for his services and Legal advice which ultimately caused her damage. Pollock has counter sued claiming defamation. Known As Rockin Ronnie the paralegal clerk co hosted a weirdly popular Cable Access show with his sister Natalie in the late 1980s. He registered to run against mayor Sam Katz earlier this summer. Natalie Pollock has also run for mayor three times and the duo has been involved in numerous lawsuits including ones against the Winnipeg press club Safeway and the University of Manitoba. Allan Fineblit ceo of the Law society said the organization became concerned about Pollock a practice after hearing his radio commercials on Job. Pollock claimed he could do some kinds of Legal work much More cheaply than lawyers could. That prompted the Law society to hire a private investigator to pose As a would be client a move Pollock says was illegal. I would to be crazy enough to run ads on the number one Sta Tion if i did to believe i could do what i was doing said Pollock. Fineblit said a person must be a full fledged lawyer to draft documents appear in court offer Legal advice and accept Money in Trust. ;