Steen plans to champion ward’s causes

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This article was published 03/11/2010 (5696 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Thomas Steen says one of his first priorities as the new councillor for Elmwood-East Kildonan will be to make sure the community’s concerns are heard loud and clear at city hall.

Steen, a former federal Conservative Party candidate, was elected to represent the traditionally left-leaning ward with 34% of the vote on Oct 27. He replaces veteran councillor Lillian Thomas, a well-known critic of Mayor Sam Katz and longtime supporter of the New Democratic Party.

“I want to give back and do something that is good and meaningful with my life,” Steen said.

“Everything I’ve been doing up until now has brought me to this. My charity work, my work with youth, it’s all brought me here.”

Steen said he’s determined to ensure residents no longer feel their ward has long been neglected, a commonly heard complaint on the campaign trail.

He has been the subject of criticism by his opponents. They say he is too closely aligned with mayor Sam Katz and suggest he is too conservative-minded.

The former Winnipeg Jets star is quick to dismiss those criticisms.

“My number one priority is to represent all of the residents of this ward,” Steen said, noting he believes Katz has the city’s best interests at heart.

“This is a great community with very humble, hard-working people. It’s not like Elmwood-East Kildonan is asking the city for the world. Our needs are very reasonable.”

Steen said he doesn’t expect to have any problems working with Katz and his colleagues on council and is eager to make a difference in the community.

“It’s about everybody,” he said. “I want to establish communication with our ward. It’s the residents who are going to show me what the job I have to do is.”

Steen said another top priority will be enhancing community safety and providing additional opportunities for children and youth. He said his experience with the Jets and as a hockey coach gave him the necessary tools to interact positively with the ward’s youngest residents.

“I’ve been involved with hockey and soccer and I’m also very interested in music, the arts, fashion, and a lot of things,” he said.

“These different types of opportunities are what we need to provide.”

Steen said it’s important to support the Winnipeg Police Service but added he believes crime prevention has to be a community effort. He plans to host community forums and establish other means of bringing residents together and coming up with a comprehensive crime prevention plan.

“Long-term planning is what’s most important, not only for crime prevention but for everything,” he said.

“My term could be a short one, who knows, but short-term planning isn’t enough. We need long-term projections for our area, for streets, for back lines, for lighting, for beautification, for everything.”

ryan.crocker@canstarnews.com