St. Vital city council byelection candidates

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Mike Ducharme

Mike Ducharme

Bio: Ducharme is an insurance broker at Ducharme Agencies, a long-time volunteer in St. Vital and up until this fall, a school trustee.

Politicial experience: Served as Louis Riel school division trustee from 2002 to 2011.

Party membership: No party affiliation. In the past, has been a member of both the Liberal and Progressive Conservative parties.

Ward of residence: St. Boniface.

Why he’s running: Ducharme said he has decades of experience serving residents of St. Vital and wants to continue doing so "in a more advanced role." He said he’s interested in active transportation and wants to ensure community centres serve the needs of residents. He cites public safety has his top priority, though.

"St. Vital itself is a very safe area, but you want to make sure your firefighters and police officers have the resources they need to do the job," he said. The United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg have endorsed Ducharme.

Website: www.voteducharme.blogspot.com

Marty Green

Bio: A musician and former host of cable-access TV show Math With Marty, Green is currently pursuing a degree in education.

Political experience: None, aside from an unsuccessful school-board run.

Party membership: None.

Ward of residence: Fort Rouge.

Why he’s running: Arguably the most focused candidate, Green said he wants to replace the existing network of Winnipeg Transit routes with a plan of his own devising, which uses concentric circles instead of inbound and outbound routes. "That’s all I got," he said. "I don’t want to be a councillor."

Website: www.onforeignsoil.com

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Steve Hennessey

Steven Hennessey

Bio: Loss-prevention co-ordinator at Manitoba Liquor Control Commission. Sits on Winnipeg Safety Committee and Citizens Equity Committee.

Political experience: Worked as volunteer on campaigns by former federal Liberal MP Ray Simard, provincial NDP MLA Nancy Allan and mayoral candidate Judy Wasylycia-Leis.

Party membership: None.

Ward of residence: St. Vital.

Why he’s running: A longtime trainer at a Crown corporation, Hennessey said he wants to put his skills to work in the community. He pledged to increase safety in St. Vital by improving recreational programming for youth and returning to a community policing model. He promised to improve transparency at city hall by holding more public forums on issues such as waste management and rapid transit. He would create a seniors advisory council for St. Vital and youth drop-in centre in the ward.

Website: www.votehennessey.ca

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Hammad Khan

Hammad Khan

Bio: Khan owns H.K Enterprises, an e-commerce consulting firm, and serves as president of Association of Pakistani-Canadians.

Political experience: Worked on Progressive Conservative candidate Naseer Warraich’s campaign in Concordia this fall. Has also worked for federal Liberal Terry Duguid.

Party membership: No party affiliation.

Ward of residence: St. Norbert.

Why he's running: "St. Vital is the fastest-growing area of the city," noted Khan, who pledged to improve transportation links to the congested ward. He promised to pave all gravel back lanes in St. Vital, synchronize traffic lights and extend rapid-transit to the ward. He also promised to make St. Vital more accessible for seniors, and pledges to work with the province "to get tough on crime." Khan also said he wants to ensure his office is always open to constituents.

Website: www.votekhan2011.ca

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Brian Mayes

Brian Mayes

Bio: Mayes is a litigator and real-estate lawyer who also sits on the board at the Deposit Guarantee Corporation and the Workers Compensation Board, coaches soccer and sits on a daycare board. He also served on the board of governors for Brandon University.

Political experience: Served as a Brandon school division trustee from 2006 to 2010. Also made an unsuccessful run for city council in Toronto in the 1990s.

Party membership: NDP.

Ward of residence: St. Vital.

Why he’s running: After growing up in St. Vital, Mayes said he wants to use his knowledge of the ward to improve it. He pledged to upgrade the St. Vital skate park, secure funding for Save Our Seine and create new programming for youths of all backgrounds. He said he is most focused on roads, back lanes and sidewalks, which he cites as the primary concern of residents. "The No. 1 thing I hear at the door is infrastructure. I’m surprised how many people use the term," he said.

Website: www.mayes2011.com

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Greg Nordman

Greg Nordman

Bio: Sales representative for Quality Vending & Coffee for 12 years. Served as a director at Bonivital Soccer Club. Also served as a Glenwood Community Centre director and the club’s representative for the St. Vital Minor Hockey Association.

Political experience: Worked on his father Ric Nordman’s city council and provincial campaigns and his brother Grant Nordman’s council campaigns.

Party membership: Progressive Conservative.

Ward of residence: St. Vital.

Why he’s running: After working with young athletes for much of his adult life, Nordman said he believes more must be done to improve recreational facilities and mitigate crime issues in the process. "I’ve battled down at city hall on a couple of occasions in the not too distant past in terms of the facilities we provide our kids," he said "We just don’t provide them with proper facilities ... why do we have a John Blumberg soccer complex that’s like a cow pasture?"

Website: www.gregnordman.com

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Carl Osato

Carl Osato

Bio: General manager for Cineplex Entertainment and runs Osato Property Management.

Political experience: Ran for city council in Old Kildonan in 2006.

Party membership: None.

Ward of residence: St. Vital.

Why he’s running: After working at Silver City in St. Vital for nine years, Osato said he believes youth are disengaged from civic politics. "I believe I can make a difference, being in a position of a little more power," he said. "As far as I understand, I’m the youngest candidate going ...

Website: www.facebook.com/pages/Vote-Osato/211607812224061

Terry Wachniak

Bio: Longtime owner-operator of Terry Wachniak Auctioneer and volunteer fundraiser for charities.

Political experience: Served as city councillor for Mynarski from 1986 to 1989. Worked for Green Party of Manitoba during 2011 provincial election. Also acted as agent for the provincial Progressive Conservative candidates in the 1980s.

Party membership: Green. Held provincial and federal Liberal memberships in the 1980s. Calls himself a disenfranchised Red Tory.

Ward of residence: Point Douglas.

Why he’s running: Wachniak said he wants to bring sustainability issues to the public. He would push to make Winnipeg Transit fares free and promote rapid transit. He also pledged to eliminate fluoride from Winnipeg’s drinking water and increase the number of city wards to put them in line with the number of provincial ridings. "When I was on council (in the 1980s) there were 29, which was closer to the number of MLAs," he said.

Website: None. Said his broader policies can be found on Green Party websites.

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Beverly Watson

Beverley Watson

Bio: Watson runs a marketing company called Mojo Promo, which caters to the bridal and amateur sport market. She also chairs the Women’s Enterprise Centre, sits on the Downtown Winnipeg Business Improvement Zone’s board and is the past president Aboriginal Chamber of Commerce.

Political experience: Volunteered for city council candidate Elaine Cowan in 2004.

Party membership: None.

Ward of residence: St. Vital.

Why she’s running: Watson said she has thought of running for office for many years but wanted to wait for the right opportunity. "It’s tough to run against an incumbent, especially someone with a name as big as Gord Steeves," she said. She said traffic congestion to be the No. 1 issue in St. Vital and would like to improve transit service as well as the roads. "We’re very car-centric here in the city," she said. Watson said although St. Vital is a very safe ward, she wants to work to maintain that status and also preserve community centres.

Website: www.beverleywatson.com

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Harry Wolbert

Harry Wolbert

Bio: Recently worked as outreach worker for MBS Residences. Longtime anti-poverty activist and advocate for people with disabilities.

Political experience: Ran for council in 2010 in St. Vital, losing to Gord Steeves. Ran as provincial Liberal candidate in St. Vital in 2007 and 2011.

Party membership: Liberal.

Ward of residence: St. Vital.

Why’s he’s running: Wolbert said he wanted to continue his work as an anti-poverty activist within the walls of city hall. He pledged to complete second phase of Southwest Rapid Transit Corridor. Would continue Winnipeg’s property tax freeze and vote against future fee increases. Would sell off city golf courses to raise revenue for the city. He would also work to improve community centres to help combat crime.

Website: www.harrywolbertforcitycouncil.blogspot.com