Incumbent slightly more scrappy

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/10/2010 (5774 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WHEN Winnipeg’s two leading mayoral candidates finally had the chance to drop the gloves, Sam Katz turned out to be slightly quicker to the punch than Judy Wasylycia-Leis.

Wednesday morning at Red River College, the incumbent mayor and his main challenger, who are neck and neck in the latest poll, spent almost two hours debating crime, taxes, transparency and each other’s records as politicians.

Neither candidate unveiled new policy planks, but the exchange was still revealing, as two previous mayoral forums — both held in September — did not allow Katz and Wasylycia-Leis to engage in direct debate or question each other.

Here are some of the highlights from the CJOB-hosted debate, which was moderated by the station’s news director, Richard Cloutier:

— The mommy factor: When Katz was asked why Winnipeggers should elect him again, the incumbent mayor listed off his business credentials. When asked what qualified her to be mayor, Wasylycia-Leis said she was able to juggle her job as the NDP MP for Winnipeg North with her duties as a mother.

That exchange seemed harmless until Wasylycia-Leis berated Katz about the city’s consulting contract with environmental giant Veolia Canada, repeating her assertion Toronto made its own Veolia contract public.

“Thanks, Mom,” retorted Katz, eliciting boos and cheers from the crowd.

After the debate, Wasylycia-Leis said she grew accustomed to sexist comments when she was in Ottawa.

“When you don’t know what else to do, you have to go after the person,” she told reporters.

Katz defended his jab. “I know the exact comment I made and I actually thought it was appropriate,” he told reporters. “I felt like I was being scolded by my mom. And I think you would have felt the same way.”

— Garages full of secrets: Whenever Wasylycia-Leis tries to portray Katz as prone to secrecy, the incumbent mayor fires back by demanding the former MP release details of about $2 million worth of her expenses in Ottawa.

Katz again made the demand on Wednesday, prompting Wasylycia-Leis to again invite Katz and the Canadian Taxpayers Federation to go through several boxes worth of receipts, which she says are sitting in her Luxton neighbourhood garage.

“I’ll even make coffee,” she said.

Wasylycia-Leis then proceeded to demand Katz release details about the Veolia contract — a document that has yet to be completed, let alone signed.

“I can tell you it’s not in my garage, in a bunch of boxes,” Katz quipped.

— The Adarius Bowman Award: Although both Katz and Wasylycia-Leis claimed victory after the debate, the incumbent mayor appeared more comfortable with the wide-open format.

Wasylycia-Leis dropped more balls than troubled Blue Bombers wide receiver Bowman, inexplicably failing to answer a softball about youth involvement in the political process — and running out of time before she could answer questions about glass recycling and accelerated road construction.

Alas for Katz, any gains he made by being smooth could have been lost by his “Thanks, Mom” retort.

— Bartley Kives

Katz and Wasylycia-Leis debate downtown issues tonight from 5:30 p.m. in the Manitoba Hydro building atrium. The Free Press will be live-streaming online at winnipegfreepress.com