Who should be the mayor of our city and what does it take?
Well, it takes compassion and caring. It takes empathy and understanding. But it also takes good business sense and ability to command.
First, let me begin by commending the current mayor Scott Gillingham on his decision to damn the torpedoes and open Portage and Main. That was the right decision. Today, our iconic corner is alive with people again and there are none of the disabling traffic jams we were warned of. Now he just has to manage the fact that we will not close the underground concourse, which would be a step backward. There is room for both.
But what about the future? Where are we going? What is the vision to make our city entrepreneurial and vibrant again? Yes, there is a lot happening downtown, but how much of that is government funded and how much is stimulated by businesses that believe in our city and its possibilities?
Because that is the only true measure of progress.
So, Scott, sweet and well meaning as you are, it is time for a change.
To me, that change is Kevin Klein.
Kevin has seen the world from both sides – from growing up in a struggling, single-mother home, rising to the C-suite as one of corporate executives that make the world go around, to City Councillor and then a Minister of the Crown in our provincial government. He has emerged as an experienced leader who understands our needs and how to fill them!
I first met Kevin about 15 years ago as a member of the Manitoba Publishers Association. The chair, Brenda Johnson, and I thought that the two daily newspapers, who at the time were both also publishing magazines, should be doing their part to support us. We met with the two publishers.
Kevin jumped right in. Not only did he join the Association and offer his full support, but he came to the meetings and helped as much as he could – all pre-COVID, of course.
That’s the kind of person he is. He is committed and sincere. And very real.
Kevin left the Sun as Publisher when he found that the paper had become a mere tool in the hands of its Quebec owners at the time. As I recall it, they wanted to review the paper before it went to press every day. That went against the ethics of a man who was trained in the tradition of freedom of the press. So, he left. He was quickly snatched up by MTS who was struggling with the world of the Internet. And there was a lineup of corporate clients down south who were only too glad to call on his expertise in redefining the management of their companies.
In everything he has done, Kevin has acted with integrity and intelligence. But he is also quietly involved in the community. He coaches hockey and has done it for years. He, along with this lovely wife, Heather, were the co-chairs that founded the Winnipeg Homes for Heros committee.
He rescues dogs – well, one at least. Gorge was a sweetheart but not cut out for police work so Kevin brought his home to live with Heather’s tiny sidekick.
He adores his wife. And he loved her parents. His father-in-law, was a Baptist pastor, who replaced the father he never knew and his mother-n-law became the surrogate for his own mom, who was tragically murdered when Kevin was barely out of his teens.
He cherishes his kids. And now he is a grandfather, the greatest blessing of all.
But beneath all this is his love for this, his adopted city. When he came here, he said he knew he had found home. He wants now to serve you. And serve – not boss. He doesn’t care about rubbing shoulders with the rich and famous or other political bigwigs. He has done all that. What he wants is a city that works.
He knows we need a leader that can read a balance sheet and understands that the taxpayer is struggling on many fronts. We need a leader that can build a team, leaning on the expertise of his councillors, and who can direct staff and make them want to do their very best.
He sees the problems: the lost opportunities due to the clumsy and slow licensing and inspections system that has developed over the years. He understands the erosion of our pride and the reluctance of people to invest when our streets are filed with homeless folks who have turned to drugs for solace and who have to steal to support their habit. And he knows how to ask the right people for help.
He is already consulting two that I know of: former police chief Devon Clunis and Street Links founder, Marion Willis. That is the right way to go because you can’t do or think of everything yourself.
There is so much more. But I think you get the picture. Kevin Klein will be a great mayor. We have not had this kind of experience and expertise offered to us for many, many years. Let’s seize the day! I will vote for Kevin. I hope you will, too.
Note to other candidates: We have number of very good people vying for the position of mayor. I commend all of you for offering. If I know Kevin, I expect he will be happy to hear your thoughts and ideas when he takes the chair. We are a community, and win or lose, your ideas are important.
To find out more about the Winnipeg civic election click here.