WINNIPEG – Mayor Sam Katz placed third in a poll that asked Winnipeggers who they would vote for if an election were held today.
Judy Wasylycia-Leis, an NDP former member of the Manitoba legislature and former MP, was the choice of 42 per cent of the 600 Winnipeggers polled. She ran an unsuccessful campaign against Katz in the 2010 municipal election.
“It’s a lot at once,” said Wasylycia-Leis. “I never expected to see another poll this good.”
Gord Steeves, the only person who has declared he plans to run for mayor in the Oct. 22 election, had the support of 17 per cent of those polled. Steeves was formerly the city councillor for St. Vital.
Coun. Paula Havixbeck had nine per cent of support, while councilors Scott Fielding and John Orlikow and local lawyer Brian Bowman each polled at six per cent support.
The poll asked, “If an election were held today for mayor, which of the following individuals would you vote for?”
It’s considered accurate within 4.35 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
The results for the voting questions were mirrored in responses to a question gauging support for the mayor.
Among those polled, 62 per cent strongly disapproved or somewhat disapproved of Katz’s performance as mayor. On the other side, 32 per cent strongly approved or somewhat approved of his performance.
“With everything that has been going on over the last little while, it’s probably exactly what one might think it would be,” said Katz. “Keep something in mind — if something goes wrong in our city, it’s not a department or individual that gets blamed; it always ends up in the mayor’s office. That’s the norm and I certainly accept that. This is what it is according to this poll. It’s a moment in time. I think you’ll see changes happening down the road.”
More than half of those polled – 52 per cent – said the mayor is taking Winnipeg on the wrong track, while 32 per cent felt he was taking Winnipeg on the right track. The rest were undecided.
Katz still hasn’t declared if he’ll run for mayor again. He plans to make a decision later this summer.
The poll results also suggest Winnipeggers don’t trust city hall.
Two-thirds of Winnipeggers polled indicated a very low or somewhat low level of trust in city hall effectively managing the city. Only 28 per cent indicated their trust was somewhat high or very high.
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