WINNIPEG – St. Boniface Coun. Dan Vandal is the latest councillor to quit city’s powerful Executive Policy Committee in recent days.
“I’m outta here,” Vandal tweeted on Monday morning.
Coun. Scott Fielding, who is considering running for mayor, left Executive Policy Committee on Friday.
The committee operates as Mayor Sam Katz’s inner circle, setting the agenda at city hall.
“It’s time for a change in direction for me,” Vandal told Global News on Monday morning, pointing out that he’s announced he plans to seek the federal Liberal nomination in St. Boniface.
He’s quitting so he can “spend more time in the community and less time in long meetings,” he added.
The defections come as city hall is embroiled in scandal over the poorly managed fire hall replacement program and increasingly over budget on the building of a new police headquarters downtown.
The city’s top manager, chief administrative officer Phil Sheegl, quit shortly before a scathing audit into the fire-paramedic station project was released to the public. The audit found problems with Sheegl’s management of the project, which is over budget and has left a station sitting on privately owned property, among other issues.
There has been speculation that Katz will have a hard time finding councillors willing to take a seat on EPC in the middle of the scandal.
Vandal said it’s time for EPC to get some new, younger members.
“There are councillors that are going to step up,” he said.
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