Lillian Thomas reflects on 20-year career

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/09/2010 (5473 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Lillian Thomas remembers the feeling of horror she felt when the city deliberated a residential development proposal she believed would destroy a patch of riverside green space.

Thomas made her case, joining a chorus of more than 200 voices crammed inside a meeting room demanding council reject the proposal.

Councillors ultimately approved the proposal and Thomas couldn’t shake the feeling that her concerns had been ignored. It was 1989 and she had no idea about the change of direction that her life would soon take.

“Someone at the meeting said I was articulate, had my facts straight, and asked me if I would run for council,” she recalled.

“I said, ‘I’m so angry, this is the first day of my campaign!’”

Thomas followed through on her promise and was elected councillor for what is now the Elmwood-East Kildonan ward in 1989. She attracted nearly 49% of the vote in that year’s election.

More than two decades later, Thomas is retiring from public office to spend more time with family.

Thomas still vividly recalls the first time she stepped into the council chamber. Bill Norrie was the city’s mayor at the time and the rookie councillor was surprised by how eager to compromise her mostly conservative council colleagues were.

“There was a lot more balance back then, between progressives and, let’s say, regressives,” she said, laughing.

“If I made a good argument, I could convince my peers I was right. The end result were more middle-of-the-road policies.”

That co-operative spirit, however, was short lived. In 1992, Susan Thompson was elected mayor and Thomas was devastated.

“It was a setback,” she said softly.

“The city has never been the same. For example, she took money out of the budget, which had been allocated for road maintenance, and spent it elsewhere. Everything got worse.”

When Thomas ally Glen Murray was elected mayor in 1998, she was optimistic her voice would finally be heard. A short time later Murray chose her to serve as deputy mayor.

“We became the first municipality in Canada to get a Hansard, which documents not just how councillors vote but what they say. I’m very proud of that,” she said.

Many other proposals Thomas had been lobbying for — from door-to-door recycling to bicycle paths — were also eventually approved.

Thomas was appointed to a provincial advisory committee in 2003. The committee was charged with making recommendations on how the city could work with neighbouring municipalities to develop the capital region in a mutually-beneficial way.

Paul Thomas, a retired University of Manitoba political studies professor who served as chairperson of the committee, said his political counterpart was often at odds with other members of the committee.

“We were trying to make peace between the city and its neighbouring municipalities,” said Thomas, who is no relation to the retiring city councillor.

“Lillian Thomas had a tough role to play. She was clearly there to protect the city’s interest but we wanted compromise.”

Although the committee chair was never a close friend of Thomas’, he admired her dedication and the relationships she developed within her community.

“She was on council for a long time and did a lot of committee service,” he said. “There’s not a lot of glory to be had for committee work and it requires a lot of long hours.”

The U of M’s Thomas said one of her strengths as a councillor was her ability to stay in touch with constituents and community organizations.
“That is a part of being a good councillor,” he said.

Thomas admits that her relationship with current mayor Sam Katz is tenuous at best. She blames him for a lack of council and public input into the decision-making process.

“He filled council chambers with people who supported him and the doors were locked for everyone else,” she said.

“We used to have meetings as councillors to discuss our priorities. With Katz, all we got were debriefings.”

Louise Balaban, co-chair of the River East Neighbourhood Network’s trail committee, said Thomas’ departure from city hall will by felt throughout the community.

“She has been generous with her support,” she said. “When you mention Lillian’s name, people comment on how she has helped their group.

She will be missed.”

One of Thomas’ last official duties as councillor for Elmwood-East Kildonan will be an East Kildonan-Transcona community committee meeting on Sept. 28.

Thomas, 61, said she is looking forward to being able to spend more time with family following next month’s civic election.

“I’m a grandmother now,” she said, beaming. “My husband and I want to be the best grandparents we can be. I’m really, really looking forward to the future.”

ryan.crocker@canstarnews.com