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Katz renews call for transparency

More spending by councillors revealed

By: Bartley Kives

28/04/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 16

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**FOR USE WITH AP LIFESTYLES** In this product image released by PumpOne shows the iPump application for the iPhone. PumpOne's iPump Workouts are total body workouts available for iPhone and iPod itouch touch. (AP Photo/PumpOne)**NO SALES** close cut closecut (CP)

WAYNE GLOWACKI/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Winnipeg City Hall May 31 2000 close cut closecut

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WAYNE GLOWACKI/WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Winnipeg City Hall May 31 2000 close cut closecut

City councillors spent $150 on a roast pig, almost $1,500 on curling tickets and almost $5,800 on pottery supplies in 2008 as part of more than $13,000 in spending on gifts and donations for ward residents or community groups.

Winnipeg's elected officials also bought cameras, a GPS unit and an iPhone for official city business last year, according to credit-card receipts obtained by the Free Press following an access-to-information request.

Most of the spending appears to conform to city regulations and all of it is subject to review by the city clerk's department.

But the fact the details of the spending have only come to light following a formal access-to-information request has led Mayor Sam Katz to renew his call for more transparency when it comes to spending decisions by city council members.

"When you don't make everything public, people get suspicious," Katz said in an interview on Monday, repeating his desire to see the city publish the complete spending records of all 16 members of council.

Winnipeg's 15 city councillors are allowed to spend $70,000 a year on the likes of ward activities, office supplies and salaries for executive assistants. They can also spend about $13,000 more on per-capita grants in each ward.

Standing committee chairs, meanwhile, can spend up to $7,000 on committee business, while the mayor's office has a total budget of $825,000, including staff salaries.

Although all expenses incurred by politicians are reviewed internally, only summaries are made public, as opposed to specific details of each receipt.

In February, when city council narrowly voted to ask the province to beef up conflict-of-interest rules for Winnipeg, Katz supported a rival motion to make these details more available. At the time, the mayor accused unnamed councillors of using taxpayer money to support political events and eat in expensive restaurants.

A subsequent Free Press investigation, published on Monday, found no evidence of the political spending, but plenty of restaurant expenses. Transcona Coun. Russ Wyatt, for example, spent almost $5,500 on business meals and catered meetings in 2008, while St. Vital Coun. Gord Steeves and Old Kildonan Coun. Mike O'Shaughnessy each spent approximately $3,600.

Since only nine councillors have credit cards, the full picture of councillor spending has not emerged, said Colin Craig, the Manitoba director of the Canadian Taxpayers Federations.

"We have part of the story here from some councillors, but nothing from the rest. Every expense should be disclosed," said Craig, who's calling on Winnipeg to publish a record of expense incurred by councillors, as Toronto has started doing on its own website.

"Toronto taxpayers can go online and see actual receipts. It's a great resource," he said.

To see how Toronto accounts for councillor expenses, visit www.toronto.ca/city_council/salaries.htm#expense.

bartley.kives @freepress.mb.ca

From plaques to pork

Selected spending by city councillors in 2008, according to credit-card receipts obtained under a freedom-of-information request:

 

Bill Clement (Charleswood-Tuxedo)

$1,472.40 for four passes to the 2008 Tim Hortons Brier.

 

Jenny Gerbasi (Fort Rouge-East Fort Garry)

$192.87 at McNally Robinson Booksellers on gift certificates for elementary schools in her ward.

$52.91 on flowers for a constituent's 80th birthday.

 

Harry Lazarenko (Mynarski)

$3,044.33 on a Sony digital camera, a Canon G10 camera, a memory stick and flash unit, an Olympus camera lens and a digital recorder for the Riverbank Management committee.

$963.16 on a Garmin GPS with a four-year warranty.

 

Mike Pagtakhan (Point Douglas)

$3,337.59 at Rona, Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Lee Valley for tools and lumber for the Main Street Clay Centre.

$2,441.60 at Sounding Stone for donated pottery wheels, electric kiln and installation.

$713.68 on a kiln wheel, pottery supplies and calligraphy pens for The Edge community art project.

$337.89 at Wal-Mart on silent auction prizes for Original Filipino Seniors Association and Aboriginal Youth Night.

$150 on ballroom dancing lessons as a gift for the CEC Gala Event.

$202.64 at the MLCC for protocol gifts.

 

Harvey Smith (Daniel McIntyre)

$413.25 at Rogers for an iPhone and two cases.

$393.89 at the Winnipeg Art Gallery shop for silent auction prizes.

$235.33 at Party Stuff to rent a candy floss machine for the Ellice Street Festival.

$150 on a roasted pig for Magdaragad Performance Group Banquet.

$66.30 on two custom-made T-shirts.

$24 for a Jazz Winnipeg ticket.

 

Gord Steeves (St. Vital)

$1,000 at Chapters on gift certificates for St. Vital junior high school scholarships.

$950.00 at Chapters on gift cards for councillors' citizenship awards.

$270 for Le Cercle Moliere's annual lobster feast.

 

Justin Swandel (St. Norbert)

$300 on two tickets to Western Canada Aviation Museum gala dinner.

$200 for a membership in the Canada West Foundation.

$34.09 at Amazon.com for a copy of Richard Florida's Who's Your City?

 

Russ Wyatt (Transcona)

$687.95 at But Is It Art Framing for plaques.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 28, 2009 B2

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16 Commentscomment icon

Mayor Katz advocating 'transparency'? Anyone try calling city phone numbers listed in the phone book? With a tiny number of exceptions, all calls are diverted to his pet project, 311. City employees who actually have the answers have now been muzzled and prevented from talking to the public. The 311 operators are brow-beaten to never transfer calls to those 'in the know'. Even staff in various departments occasionally had to tranfsfer calls to get you to the person with the info you sought. Is it even reasonable to expect these poor 311 operators with 40 hours training to have all the answers to all our questions and be prevented from transferring calls? Turn-over is always high in any call centre and the frustration of not having the answers, being prohibited from transferring calls and then encountering caller hostility guarantees turn-over, and a stream of more new hires being trained to repeat the cycle. I've always been a regular caller to city departments and I've had three incidents with 311 where I was given false information or been told I couldn't posisibly have seen what I'm reporting because what I see with my own eyes doesn't exist...period. One operator I spoke to called back 30 minutes later to tell me she had checked with other operators and I was indeed hallucinating something that did not exist, using euphemsisms of course. I sent an email to the mayor and requested a 'read receipt' with no response. I copied the three councillors who oppose the system, all gave me 'read reciepts' and two answered personally. The city mail system clearly does not strip requests for 'read recipts'. Seems our mayor is arrogant as well as having competent city employees hidden behind the bureaucratic equivalent of the Great Wall of China to prevent transparency. No transparency, no accountability to the electorate. Charming. Mayor Katz does NOT deserve our support.

Know what,it doesn't matter if you make this process more "transparent"it will continue at this and every level of government.It is a no-brainer,when someone is given the power to spend freely someone else's (taxpayers)money they will do it and make sure they enjoy themselves while they are doing so.

I think the real story is that the mayor successfully shifted the focus by saying councilors are spending on political events,etc. So what was he shifting the focus from? Oh yeah, the fact that the councilors voted to have the province appoint an ethics commission for conflicts of interest. Maybe we should revisit some of these conflicts of interest the mayor's been involved in.

Bartley:

Where are Sammy's numbers? If he is calling for transparency, let us see the books on the parking lot. Let's see the tickets he gave to the boy scouts and girl guides. Let's see what table he eats at and with whom.

Good on Mr. Kives for responding. It's nice to know that people's comments are being listended to.

@Mark W: Thank you, that's precisely why I've written these stories.

In February, the mayor stated some councillors would not want people to know what political events they're supporting or where they're eating.

While there is no evidence of the former, there was plenty of the latter and the fact remains the mayor is correct when he says it is not easy for the public to scrutinize spending.

Of course, the mayor's comments came in the wake of a conflict-of-interest debate that stemmed from the Riverside Park Management affair, which is a different issue.

In any case, I write many types of city hall stories. Respectfully, I don't quite follow the logic that writing about spending precludes the possibility of writing other stories.

Bartley Kives

I think it's great that the WFP is reporting this information. So it's not inflammatory or scandalous... what's wrong with a little good news about our politicians frugal and responsible spending? Blame the mayor for insinuating that inappropriate spending was happening with his comment about some councillors not wanting citizens to know where they eat.

I'm all for greater transparency and think that posting receipts online for all to see would increase accountability. But, the fact is, coucillors know the info is reviewed internally and can be viewed by anyone through an information request. How much would the imaging software, related hardware and another civil servant to scan everything cost?

I agree with GreatFlatLand AND Bartley Kives. The expenses should be available for all to see (like Toronto does). And, so far, this is a non-event. Not really newsworthy...

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Some of this stuff is nit picky and what the money is intended for. I have never liked Jenny Gerbasi however she does not abuse her spending allowance and seems to practice what she preaches. I just don’t agree with her views.

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The Mayor and his minions are wrecking this city by allowing unchecked sprawl, and we're supposed to worry about councillors buying tickets to charity fundraisers? Come on, keep your eyes on the ball, Bart.

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