Global News has projected Coun. Ross Eadie’s re-election in the race for the Mynarski ward.
Eadie was vying for re-election in the seat he’s held for a dozen years, having been first elected to Mynarski in 2010, during the mayoralty of Sam Katz.
Unofficial numbers from Wednesday’s vote, reported shortly after 11 p.m. showed Eadie nearly 20 percentage points ahead of his closest competitor, community advocate Natalie Smith, with 3,779 votes.
Eadie took over from one of the longest-serving councillors in recent memory, Harry Lazarenko, who represented the ward from 1974 to 1977, and again from 1983 to 2010, before retiring.
Eadie, who is the first legally blind councillor in Winnipeg’s history, has been one of the most recognizable faces and voices on council, due to his outspoken — and sometimes controversial — opinions.
His platform prioritizes working toward fair city financing, with the proposal of a tax credit for homeowners with below-average assessed home values, as well as crime and safety improvements, a continued focus on improvements to area parks, consolidating solid waste collection, and continued road renewal.
Eadie’s campaign also places a focus on Indigenous healing.
Here’s a look at the candidates who were unsuccessful in their bid for the council seat:
One candidate, in particular, was intimately familiar with Eadie’s work on council — his former assistant, Aaron McDowell.
McDowell, who has lived in the ward most of his adult life, worked as Eadie’s executive assistant for the past 12 years, and said his hands-on experience as a public servant for the community encouraged him to run for office.
His platform focused on crime and arson reduction, overhauling the city’s 311 service, refocusing the city’s property, planning and development department, and promoting active transportation.
Community advocate Natalie Smith also has experience in politics, having worked as an executive assistant to Coun. Vivian Santos and as a constituency assistant to MLA Lisa Naylor.
Smith’s background is with community-based non-profits, including the Women’s Health Clinic and the North End Community Renewal Corp.
Smith’s campaign pledged to tackle the root causes of crime, and notably called for a reallocation of 10 per cent of the current police budget into social services. She was also focused on improvements to housing, transit and active transportation, increasing community engagement, and partnering with local non-profits.
Also running for the Mynarski seat was Ed Radchenka, a lifelong resident of the ward.
Radchenka worked for local auto dealership Jim Gauthier for 25 years, and has spent two decades as a member of the Neighbourhood Watch groups in West Kildonan and Point Douglas.
He said he’s been involved with a number of small businesses over the years and pledged to continue to support small business if elected.
Steve Snyder is a community organizer, founding chair of the Seven Oaks Residents’ Association, and serves on the boards of organizations like Bike Winnipeg and YIMBY Winnipeg.
Snyder’s campaign prioritized local economic growth, making community essentials available to all residents within walking distance, making the city climate resilient — including accelerating the Transit Master Plan, and focusing on community health and well-being.
Bordered by Old Kildonan to the north, Point Douglas to the west, North Kildonan to the east, and Elmwood-East Kildonan to the southeast, the Mynarski ward covers a wide range of neighbourhoods, as well as industrial areas and Kildonan Park.
All of Dufferin, William Whyte, Luxton, St. John’s, Inkster-Faraday, Jefferson, North Point Douglas, Robertson, St. John’s Park, Seven Oaks, Margaret Park, Dufferin Industrial, and Lord Selkirk Park are within its boundaries.
The ward is named for Andrew Mynarski, a Winnipeg pilot awarded the Victoria Cross for the heroic acts that cost him his life in the Second World War.