City councillor's former assistant running against old boss for Mynarski seat

A longtime executive assistant to Winnipeg city Coun. Ross Eadie says he will run against his former boss in the upcoming civic election.

Aaron McDowell says he's spent years dealing with city issues as the right hand man of the long-serving councillor for the Mynarski ward, in northwest Winnipeg.

"I'm running because I was spending 85 per cent of my time stopping buildings from burning down — so checking on abandoned houses. This is a major crisis in the inner city," he said Monday.

"I need to be effecting policy and I need to be a voice, because right now my neighbourhood is burning down and nobody's doing anything about it — no one on council. They just don't have the political will. I do."

McDowell says some landlords treat vacant buildings in the city like ATMs, using those properties to secure bank loans.

He also says there are problems with the city's 311 service.

Some service requests that once happened within six weeks are now taking four months to complete, he says.

McDowell said he worked for Eadie for 12 years, but was dismissed last month.

He's still friends with the sitting councillor, McDowell said, but he wants to help people living in the city.

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. I know what needs to be done and I'm going to do it."

Eadie hasn't officially registered his campaign yet, but has indicated he plans to run for another term.

Steve Snyder, a member of the Seven Oaks Residents' Association who recently fought to keep West Kildonan Library in its current location, is also registered to run in Mynarski.

"I walk around and I see businesses closed. I see trash on the street, heaving sidewalks," Snyder said in an interview last week.

"We need somebody with good leadership to move us forward in this ward because it isn't coming from our current councillor."

The civic election is Oct. 26.