Klein elected to city council

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This article was published 24/10/2018 (2729 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kevin Klein will be representing Charleswood-Tuxedo at City Hall.

The four-way race for an open council seat in the ward had two clear frontrunners an hour after polls closed on election night. The former Winnipeg Sun publisher took an early lead but his closest competition, former councillor Grant Nordman, was only a few hundred votes behind when results started rolling.

The mood at The Thirsty Lion on Dale Boulevard lightened considerably once Klein was named the winner through unofficial results — he captured 41.87 per cent of the vote.

“That was really weird because it was a first time for me, I was feeling great and then the results started showing,” Klein said, adding that he attributed the win to all of the people who have supported him on the campaign trail. “For me, this feels like we’ve been on a caravan, if you will, to this moment here. I’m very excited.”

Klein, 53, ran a campaign focused on improving accountability at City Hall and reining in municipal spending. He has also promised residents in Charleswood, Tuxedo and Westwood unfettered access to him as their councillor through town halls, community advisory boards and by personally returning phone calls and emails.

“The people in the community put their trust in me and now it’s up to me to live up to my commitment to them,” Klein said.

The ward was without an incumbent this election with former city councillor Marty Morantz turning his attention to federal politics — Morantz was recently selected to be the Conservative candidate for the Charleswood-St. James-Assiniboia-Headingley riding in the upcoming federal election.

Nordman was watching the results with family and supporters at the Boulevard Pub and Bistro on Roblin. He congratulated Klein on a successful campaign.

“He’s got the next four years to do all the things that need to get done. I hope that he has a successful run,” Nordman said, adding that he’s looking forward to getting back to his day job. “I took a 54-day break and went out and lost some weight as we walked the streets and life goes on — it’s not the end of the world.”

Nordman finished with 33.5 per cent of the vote and candidates Kevin Nichols and Ken St. George brought in 15.22 per cent and 9.41 per cent, respectively.