Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - October 29, 2006, Winnipeg, Manitoba B4 Premier tops the list. Again by Dan Lett p Ity the poor politician. No Job Security. Cynical electorate. Opportunistic critics. A but there is one Benefit. If you re Lucky enough to be Premier of Manitoba you re guaranteed a spot on top of the Winnipeg free press Power 30, our ranking of the provinces top Power brokers. In the second annual Power 30, pre Mier Gary doer ranks supreme once again. And that sparked a fascinating debate among members of the brain Trust responsible for assembling the list is it possible for someone other than the Premier to top our ranking not Likely. No matter what is happen ing in the broader Community it appears the Premier is destined to be number one. And for Good reason. The provincial government Calls the shots on everything from the delivery of health care to the number of police officers on our streets. And the Mani Toba legislature creates policy and Law for everything from the very existence of municipal governments to smoking in the workplace. All that combines to make the pre Mier ? who historically exercises almost dictatorial control Over his Cabinet and caucus ? the de Facto Numero Uno regardless of exactly who is elected Premier. A but there is a fascinating anomaly in the Power Economy. While the Premier is destined to top the list every year the business Community tends to dominate the rest of the rank ing. In this years Power 30, Only two politicians ? doer and Winnipeg mayor Sam Katz ? Are in the lists top 10 Only five made it into the top 20. Across the entire ranking politicians and political staffers or organizers Are outnumbered by business people and bureaucrats two to one. Elected politicians do even poorer. Outside political leaders not a single sitting my la or City councillor has found a Way to get ranked on the Power 30. The reason Power for politicos can be grand but it can also be fleeting. January a Federal election was proof of How fickle and cruel the political Economy can be. Last year Manitoba Stop ranking Federal Cabinet minister Liberal my Reg Alcock was on top of the world As a Power broker ranking second Overall to doer. Alcock did not serve Long As regional minister but in his time he got a lot done and cultivated a lofty profile. However when Alcock was upset in the january election by conservative challenger Rod Bruinooge ? and the liberals were nudged out of office ? the Veteran my and the most powerful Federal politician in Manitoba dropped right off the Power map altogether. Alcocks Fate is further confirmation that it is almost unheard of for former political Power brokers to retain any of their influence after leaving elected office. The one exception in Manitoba is Lloyd Axworthy the former Federal Liberal Cabinet minister who has continued to Emit Power Waves from his position As president of the University of Winnipeg. His ranking at number 19 is much lower than he would have earned Back in the mid 1990s when he was a front Bench minister in the lib eral government and that brings us to the last reality for political Power brokers. Save for the Premier political Power is really connected to the politician and not just the position. Alcocks replacement As regional minister conservative Justice minis Ter Vic Toews does not have the same influence or reach As his grit predecessor. In fact Toews pulled a 16th place ranking in Large part because he has been invisible. The highly centralized control exercised by prime minister Stephen Harper Over Cabinet and caucus has deprived Toews of a higher profile and More Power. Other Power brokers see Toews As a politician on a Short Leash with no discretion to pursue a Manitoba Agenda in the Federal Cabinet. Similarly Winnipeg mayor Sam Katz dropped two positions from last years ranking and now sits 9th. In Large part this reflected the belief of the Power 30 brain Trust that Katz has failed to find his legacy project. Katz a predecessor Glen Murray was bombastic opinionated and difficult for the other Levels of government to handle. He was also a politician who left his Mark on the City. Whether it was the promenade Riel or policies on creating Urban reserves for first nations people Murray always got people debating his value As a political Leader. To Date Katz has yet to spark that kind of debate. Greater Power is there for Katz if he can find that project or policy that will define his time in office. Otherwise Katz May find there is plenty of room below the 9th spot. Winnipeg free press sunday october 29, 2006 4 Gail Asper the tireless fundraiser for the Canad an museum for human rights picked up the Torch for her fathers dream after his untimely death three years ago. Criss crossing the country she has spearheaded the raising of More than $200 million for the museum which she says will be an International landmark that will also give a much needed boost to Manitoba tourism. She a about $95 million Short of her $311-million goal but it should to take Long. Two of the people on her hit list Are Microsoft a Bill Gates and Star Bucks Howard Schultz. Last year 3. 5 Bob Brennan Manitoba Hydro has Long been known in Rural communities first for its development of hydroelectric dams in the North and most recently for its commitment to develop wind Power As a significant source of Energy in the future. Now the ceo is basking in the glow of Hydro a 700,000-Square-foot Headquarters under construction on Portage Avenue. The $258-million project will be a key cog in the downtown development wheel bringing 2,000 workers to the City score every week Day. Last year 8. 8 Ray Mcfeeters a decade ago great West life co was a takeover target in danger of being moved out of Winnipeg. Today its not Only the largest insurance company in Canada its also Manitoba a biggest publicly traded company and 10th largest of All firms in the country. Its becoming a significant player in both Europe and the . Great West is one of Winnipeg a biggest employers and the Hub of the City a financial services sector which trails Only Toronto and Montreal in size. Last year 9. 6 Arni Thorsteinson Winnipeg a real estate King has lever aged off his property management company shelter Canadian properties to launch three real estate investment trusts Lanesborough Huntingdon and Temple. After just a few years of operations they own More than $1 Bil lion of hotels apartments and com Mercial and office properties across Canada. The question in Many Cir cles is what does to Arni own. New. There a no doubt he knows How to run a Ball team. But what exactly the Gold eyes owner wants to do while wearing the mayors bal Cap is less certain. Yes he managed to scare off any serious con tenders for the City Stop Job on his Way to win Ning another term wednes Day night. Katz a populist Appeal How Ever has yet to translate into the kind of municipal muscle that is available to the Man who holds the distinction of being the top vote getter of All politicians in the province. Last year 7. 3 Hartley Richardson although he keeps a lower profile than any of the Aspers and most members of the Power 30, the Man heading up Winnipeg a other uber wealthy family has his fingerprints All Over the province. First he oversees Richardson partners Finan Cial with a wealth management Arm that recently topped $5 billion in assets less than three years after launching and a private equity division that recently raised $750 million for its second fund. And that does to include its tuned in to the moving and shaking in the province As anyone. 10 Frank Plummer the Manitoba native and world renowned aids Cru Sader continues to be the country a Best defence against global epidemics. From his Perch at health Canada where he is director general of the National microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg Plummer brings National and International scientific Cache to the City. Plummer a pull within health Canada however appears to have dipped since the tories took Over from the liberals in Ottawa. Last year 4. 11 Mark Chipman the Man who spearheaded the construction of the its Centre has settled Back into his Day jobs As president of Megill Stephenson co., chairman of True North sports and entertain ment and governor of the american hockey leagues Manitoba Moose. If the nil is Ever going to return to Winnipeg Chipman will undoubtedly be the Point Man. When his name pops up on Call displays around town the phone is answered on the first ring. Last year 13. 7 Charlie Spring the ceo of one of the largest Independent financial services firms in the country Spring has grown his firm ? which announced its intention two weeks ago to go Public in about two years ? from one office and $500 million in assets nine years ago to 28 offices across the country and More than $7.4 billion in assets. He is As ;