Many voters cool on Katz

Rob Ford will be on Santa’s “naughty” list this year, but Toronto’s mayor is sure to get a Christmas card from his counterpart in Winnipeg.

That’s because, by any other standard, Sam Katz has had an absolutely lousy – many would say scandalous – year and a half. But thanks to the soap opera in Toronto, the spotlight on Katz has faded. Not quite to black, but no longer blinding.

Katz, a former concert promoter who moonlights as the majority owner of the Winnipeg Goldeyes minor-league baseball franchise, saw a few chinks appear in his armour in the spring of 2012.

It all began when his plans for a $7-million contribution to a privately owned water park at The Forks, a central riverside park, were dashed by city council.

Later, it was revealed he had bought an Arizona-based shell company called Duddy Enterprises LLC from the city’s chief administrative officer – and close personal friend – Phil Sheegl for a loonie, only to sell it back once a media firestorm erupted.

Katz also has been heavily criticized for his role – or, at least, lack of oversight – in a controversial land-swap deal that saw the city trade two vacant fire halls and some land for another parcel of land in the south end where a new fire hall would be built.

Those negotiations were conducted between fire chief Reid Douglas – who was fired earlier this year – and a local development company, Shindico Realty. But city council didn’t find out about the deal until it was too late to stop. By the time council voted to kill the deal, construction of the new fire hall was almost done and the city was on the hook for it.

Then, Ernst & Young LLP was brought in to conduct an external review of the land-swap deal after Katz admitted that mistakes had been made in the tendering process for the fire halls.

And six months ago, a Manitoba judge said that Katz had displayed “bad political and ethical behaviour,” even though he was cleared of breaking any conflict-of- interest rules.

This past autumn, Katz was forced to accept Sheegl’s resignation just days before the audit on the land-swap deal, which laid much of the blame for the mess at his feet, was released.

Then, last month, Katz had to admit that Winnipeggers would make up the $17-million shortfall in renovation expenses for the new police headquarters, contradicting statements he made a couple of years ago.

These incidents, as well as a number of others, have many Winnipeggers questioning the direction of Katz’s moral compass and calling for him to step down.

(Previously, the only noteworthy blemish on Katz’s record occurred during a charity soccer game with inner-city kids in the summer of 2010. At one point, the mayor went to kick an airborne ball but missed; instead, he made contact with a child’s face. Of course, it was caught on videotape and replayed countless times around the world.)

Katz, nearing the end of his third term, has been coy about whether he will seek re-election next year.