July 1, 2022

Winnipeg
19° C, Partly cloudy

Full Forecast

Contact Us Subscribe Manage Subscription Chat with us
Log in Create Free Account Help Chat with us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • My Account
    • Manage my Subscription
    • Change Password

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
    • Log in
    • Create Free Account
    • Help

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
  • Coronavirus Coverage
  • Replica E-Edition
    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • Community Review East
    • Community Review West
  • Above the Fold
  • Front page
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Book Club
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
    • Manitoba's Top Employers
  • Canada
  • Local
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • World
  • Reader BridgeNEW
  • WFP EventsNEW
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
  • Archives
  • Free Press Community Review
    • All Free Press Community Review News
    • East Edition
    • West Edition
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Classifieds
  • Contests
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • LifestylesNEW
    • All Lifestyles
    • Business Hub
    • Community
    • Drink & Dine
    • Life
    • Wellness
    • Whiskers & Wings
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Homes
    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Newsletters
  • Obituaries
  • Puzzles
  • Photo and Book store
  • More

©2022 FP Newspaper Inc.

Close
  • Quick Links

    • Coronavirus Coverage
    • Federal Election
    • Above the Fold
    • Home
    • Local
    • Canada
    • World
    • Classifieds
    • Special Coverage
    • Newsletters
    • Obituaries
    • Photo and Book store
    • Archives
    • Contests
    • Publications
    • Sponsored Content
    • Privacy Policy

    Ways to support us

    • Pay it Forward program
    • Subscribe
    • Support Faith coverage
    • Support Arts coverage
  • Replica E-Edition

    • About the E-Edition
    • Winnipeg Free Press
    • Community Review East
    • Community Review West

    Business

    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
  • Arts & Life

    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Cannabis
    • Celebrities
    • Diversions
    • Puzzles
    • Environment
    • Events
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Your Health
    • Life & Style
    • Movies
    • Music
    • Science & Technology
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Sports

    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Auto Racing
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • Golf
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Horse Racing
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Olympics
    • Soccer
  • Opinion

    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor

    Media

    • All Media
    • Photo Galleries
    • Videos

    Homes

    • Property Listings
    • Featured News
    • Renovation and design
    • New homes
    • Resale homes
  • Canstar Community News

    • All Free Press Community Review News
    • East Edition
    • West Edition
    • Sports
    • Events
    • Contact Us
    • E-Editions
  • Coupons

    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print Coupons
    • Ripley's Aquariums Coupons
    • The Bay Coupons
    • Staples Canada Coupons
    • Altitude Sports Coupons
    • Nike Coupons
    • Tuango Coupons
    • Ebay Canada Coupons
    • Sport Chek Coupons
    • Roots Coupons
  • About Us

    • About Us
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Carrier Positions & Retailer Requests
    • FP Newspapers Inc.
    • History
    • Internships
    • Job Opportunities
    • News Café
    • Privacy Policy
    • Retail Locations
    • Staff Biographies
    • Terms and Conditions
The Free Press
Articles Read
Your Balance +tax
Day Pass Till
Day Pass
    • Contact Us
    • Advertising Contact
    • Report an Error
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
    • Staff Biographies
    • Submit a News Tip
    • Subscribe to Newsletters

    • Finding your
      information

    • Log in
    • Create Account
    • Help
    • Chat with us

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate
    • My Account
    • Manage My Subscription
    • Change Password
    • Chat with us

    • Grid View
    • List View
    • Compact View
    • Text Size
    • Translate

    • Log Out
Log in Create Account Contact Us
Contact Us Manage Subscription
  • Sections
  • Local
  • Arts & Life
    • All Arts & Life
    • The Arts
    • Autos
    • Books
    • Diversions
    • Environment
    • Faith
    • Food & Drink
    • Health
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV
    • Travel
  • Business
    • All Business
    • Agriculture
    • Personal Finance
    • Manitoba's Top Employers
  • Sports
    • All Sports
    • Amateur
    • Blue Bombers
    • Curling
    • Football
    • Goldeyes
    • High School
    • Hockey
    • Winnipeg Jets
    • Manitoba Moose
    • WHL
    • MLB
    • NBA
    • Soccer
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
    • Editorials
    • Editorial Cartoons
    • Letters to the Editor
    • Send a Letter to the Editor
  • E-Edition
  • Homes
  • Classifieds
    • All Classifieds
    • Announcements
    • Automotive
    • Careers
    • Garage Sales
    • Merchandise
    • Pets
    • Real Estate
    • Rentals
    • Services
  • Lifestyles
    • Business Hub
    • Community
    • Drink & Dine
    • Life
    • Manitoba’s Top Employers
    • Wellness
    • Whiskers & Wings
    • Sponsored Articles
  • Coupons
    • All Coupons
    • Staples Copy & Print
    • Ripley's Aquariums
    • The Bay
    • Staples Canada
    • Altitude Sports
    • Nike
    • Tuango
    • Ebay Canada
    • Sport Chek
    • Roots
  • Obituaries
  • Subscribe$1.50 for 5 months
Home Local

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Chewing out the mayor's poor attitude

Learning a lesson from littering

By: Gordon Sinclair Jr.
Posted: 1:00 AM CDT Saturday, May. 25, 2013

  • Tweet
  • Share
  • Print
  • Email
  • Save to Read Later

This story seems far from the crack-cocaine controversy that has dogged Toronto Mayor Rob Ford of late. And it is.

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/5/2013 (3324 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

This story seems far from the crack-cocaine controversy that has dogged Toronto Mayor Rob Ford of late. And it is.

Yet, in its own way, a litter-conscious young mother's holding Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz accountable for casually tossing a freshly chewed piece of gum on the ground is suggestive of the same issues faced by Ford. Questions of leadership, trust and accountability.

Except in this seemingly trivial case of a mayor committing a bylaw infraction, it has resulted in Sam Katz doing something uncharacteristic. Apologizing.

The problem is he still hasn't said sorry for something that troubled the 31-year-old woman who confronted him after watching Winnipeg's civic leader doing something many of us have thoughtlessly done since we were kids.

-- -- --

It was a week ago last Thursday I called the mayor's press secretary, Rhea Yates, with a citizen's concern. Earlier that day, I had received an email from Free Press reader Lawrence Baltus. "I just got off the phone with my wife Marilynn, who is very upset at the way she was treated by Mr. Sam Katz within the last 30 minutes," Baltus began.

He asked if I would call her.

When I reached Marilynn Kullman, she described how she and her six-month-old son Ezra had been in the Fort Rouge Leisure Centre parking lot that day when she saw the mayor get out of his van, take a piece of gum from his mouth and toss it into some nearby grass. Kullman was incensed, but she said she chose her words carefully.

"Excuse me sir, would you mind picking up the gum that you dropped."

Kullman recalled the mayor's response this way.

"Oh, it's just a piece of lint."

And then he breezed by Kullman and disappeared into the leisure centre. But Kullman refused to be "brushed off" as she put it. Littering, Kullman pointed out, is a bylaw offence and in her view the mayor should be setting an example. So she pursued both the mayor and the issue inside the leisure centre.

The mayor was involved in an event there and, when she made known why she was there, a man who identified himself as a city employee accompanied her outside and picked up the gum.

In an email that same day to press secretary Rhea Yates -- who was with Katz when it happened -- I outlined Kullman's allegations, asked for a comment from the mayor and added a quote from Kullman that summed up why she was so concerned.

"It's just a piece of gum, but it's not a piece of gum. It's an attitude."

What Kullman meant was that tossing the gum -- and then not being forthright about what he had done -- reflected his attitude to our city, its citizens and the perception many have about how he performs his responsibilities to both.

But what bothered Kullman more than the thoughtless tossing of the gum was Katz's denying what he had done. And then walking away as if he had done nothing wrong.

The mayor never did respond to my request for a comment. But earlier this week, a letter dated May 16, the day of the incident, was hand-delivered to the Fort Rouge Leisure Centre.

It was from the mayor and it was meant for the woman who had confronted him in the parking lot: "I apologize for having a moment of carelessness, but I assure you that I do take littering seriously and I encourage all Winnipeggers to do the same."

It's worth noting, though, there was no mention in the letter of the words "gum" or "lint."

The Free Press | Newsletter

Winnipeg Gardener

What you need to know now about gardening in Winnipeg. A monthly email from the Free Press with advice, ideas and tips to keep your outdoor and indoor plants growing.

Sign up for Winnipeg Gardener
Sign Up

But what Kullman was most concerned with was he didn't apologize for what she was most disturbed by. "The natural ease" with which the mayor initially was able to be dishonest, in the moment, about what he had done. I offered the mayor an opportunity to address Kullman's concern in an email to his press secretary Friday afternoon.

Later that afternoon, the mayor's office finally responded to my third email in nine days. But without addressing Kullman's real concern. The mayor's attitude.

-- -- --

I suppose one could say Kullman should be satisfied with his apology for his "moment of carelessness."

She's not. But I am. I can't recall Katz apologizing for any of the litany of far more serious issues that have dogged him. How ironic that, after all these years and all those controversies, it took a piece of gum to finally make something stick.

gordon.sinclair@freepress.mb.ca

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

  • Report Error
  • Submit a Tip
  • Refund
  • The Free Press is certified by

The Winnipeg Free Press invites you to share your opinion on this story in a letter to the editor. A selection of letters to the editor are published daily.

To submit a letter:
• fill out the form on this page, or
• email letters@freepress.mb.ca, or
• mail Letters to the Editor, 1355 Mountain Avenue, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R2X 3B6.

Letters must include the writer’s full name, address, and a daytime phone number. Letters are edited for length and clarity.

Advertisement

Advertise With Us

Top