What to know in Mynarski ward before Winnipeg's election
Caitlyn Gowriluk | CBC News | Posted: September 23, 2022 7:48 PM | Last Updated: September 29, 2022
4 people hope to unseat area's longtime councillor
About Mynarski
After over a decade in the role, the longtime councillor of a northwest Winnipeg ward will face a group of challengers in this year's election.
Mynarski Coun. Ross Eadie is up against four other candidates, including his former executive assistant, Aaron McDowell.
Also running are small business owner Ed Radchenka, Natalie Smith, who has worked as an assistant to several politicians, and Steve Snyder, the founding chair of the Seven Oaks Residents Association.
The ward's neighbourhoods include William Whyte, St. John's, North Point Douglas and Lord Selkirk Park.
People in Winnipeg will head to the polls on Oct. 26 to vote for a new mayor, school trustees and councillors in 13 of the city's 15 wards. Councillors in the other two wards have already been acclaimed — meaning they automatically hold on to their seats — after no one ran against them.
In the 2018 election, the Mynarski ward had Winnipeg's lowest voter turnout rate for council. Of those eligible to vote, less than 30 per cent cast a ballot for the ward's council seat, data from the city clerk's office shows.
Here's what you need to know before election day in Mynarski.
Who's running?
Ross Eadie is serving his third straight term as the area's councillor. He was elected in 2010, when he became the first blind person on Winnipeg's city council.
Eadie has taken on several council positions since being elected, including deputy speaker. He was also reinstated as a member of the Winnipeg Police Board this year after being removed in 2018.
Aaron McDowell is running against his former boss in the upcoming election. He was Eadie's executive assistant for 12 years before he says he was dismissed in June.
Ed Radchenka is a small business owner.
Natalie Smith is the office operations manager for a consulting firm. She has worked with several non-profit organizations, as a constituency assistant for NDP MLA Lisa Naylor and as executive assistant for Point Douglas Coun. Vivian Santos. Smith is also the only woman running for council this year who's not already a councillor.
Steve Snyder is the founding chair of the Seven Oaks Residents Association and recently fought to keep the West Kildonan Library in its current location. He moved back to Winnipeg in 2020 from Australia, where he worked for five years as a civil servant, primarily in recreation in the city of Brisbane.
What are they promising?
Eadie says he'd push for a tax credit for homeowners with below average assessed values, work to improve police response times and focus on improving parks and recreation in the ward. He'd also work to consolidate solid waste collection, improve pay for city jobs and focus on getting major infrastructure projects done.
McDowell says he'd focus on reducing arson and crime in the area, tackling municipal waste, making active transportation more accessible and improving public services, like 311 and snow and trash removal.
Radchenka says he'd work to help seniors and low-income families, and fix streets in Winnipeg.
Smith says she'd focus on improving safety, securing long-term funding for non-profits that support people in the ward, developing stable social housing and making bus service more accessible.
Snyder says he'd focus on filling vacant storefronts with businesses and push for more spending on things like lighting, wider sidewalks and improvements to building facades. He'd also advocate to get more money to update the city's combined sewers, make city buses and vehicles electric, protect the city's trees and support industries focused on environmentally friendly building, retrofitting and public transit.
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