Winnipeg's new planning, property and development director is facing more flak inside and outside city hall for his opinions about surface parking lots and an appearance at a condominium hearing six years ago.
Phil Sheegl has not even started working for the city, but Winnipeg's newest senior bureaucrat has already endured more criticism than some politicians see over the course of entire careers.
On Thursday, Daniel McIntyre Coun. Harvey Smith said Sheegl -- a 25-year veteran real-estate salesman and property developer with a civil engineering degree -- is not qualified for the job, while a pair of River Heights residents claimed the new director misrepresented himself at a public hearing into a Grant Avenue condo development.
The crux of Smith's complaint with Sheegl lies with the new director's opinion about surface parking lots, which urbanists demonize as the scourge of downtown Winnipeg.
Surface parking lots may actually be preferable to downtown heritage buildings if the structures in question are abandoned and extremely unattractive, Sheegl said Thursday in an interview, elaborating upon statements first made during a closed-door city council seminar on Tuesday.
"If they're in lieu of buildings that have been abandoned and are derelict eyesores, then they could be cleaned up," said Sheegl, explaining the Florida city of Naples has experienced some success with this strategy. "Businesses have more parking and they can control the price of parking. It's a win-win for everybody."
Several left-leaning city councillors say they were disconcerted when they heard Sheegl's perspective, but only Smith said the new employee -- who has been praised by council property chairman Justin Swandel and new city chief administrator Glen Laubenstein -- is not suitable to run the planning, property and development department.
"He obviously doesn't have much of an interest in historical buildings. I'm sure he wants to take many of them down," Smith said. "I'm convinced he can't do this job. He doesn't have the experience and his outlook is frightening."
Meanwhile, two River Heights residents who opposed the creation of two condominium projects on Grant Avenue in 2002 called the Free Press to complain Sheegl spoke in favour of the condos at a public hearing, then later acted as a real estate-agent for the units.
Real-estate agent Winn Adair and logistics manager Brian Raymond claim Sheegl did not identify himself as a real-estate agent when he spoke in favour of the Camrose Gardens and Camrose Estates condo projects at a City Centre Community Committee meeting on April 20, 2002.
"He represented himself as a resident who was in favour of the development. Then his name was on the billboard in front of the property," Raymond said.
Minutes from that meeting confirm Sheegl told the committee, then led by former River Heights Coun. Garth Steek, that the Grant Avenue projects would enhance property values in the area.
On Thursday, Sheegl said he spoke at the meeting as an area resident and only later was recruited to do sales and marketing for the condominiums, which were built by Akman Management on the former site of Ramah Hebrew School.
"Nothing better could have happened in that area. That was a boarded-up abandoned building, covered with graffiti. People used to break in and have parties," Sheegl said.
"It was an eyesore and they created a beautiful complex there, not to mention a tax base of $300,000 to $400,000 a year."
The attacks on Sheegl came one day after Fort Rouge Coun. Jenny Gerbasi said Winnipeg needs an ethics commissioner in the wake of the decision to hire Sheegl, who is friends with Mayor Sam Katz.
bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca
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