Franco Magnifico - City Councillor

City Councillor

Magnifico ran for Winnipeg City Council in a 2004 by-election, called after sitting St. Boniface councillor Dan Vandal stepped down to run for mayor. He won an upset victory, defeating two better-known francophone candidates.

Magnifico quickly emerged as a vocal ally of newly-elected Mayor Sam Katz. He supported the mayor's decision to shelve a rapid transit plan in September 2004, arguing that the money would be better spent on other priorities. In October 2004, Katz appointed Magnifico as chair of his newly-formed "red tape commission". The commission's finished report was issued in June 2005 with 50 recommendations, including an overhaul of Winnipeg's entertainment tax and a plan to reduce neighbourhood conflicts over new construction projects. The entertainment tax was subsequently eliminated, and Katz reported that 15 of the 30 recommendations had been completed by January 2007.

Magnifico was also appointed to chair Winnipeg's alternate service delivery committee in June 2005. This committee was charged with streamlining some municipal services and contracting out others. In this capacity, Magnifico spearheaded a controversial move to privatize the city's garbage collection services. Katz promoted Magnifico to his executive policy committee (i.e. the municipal cabinet) in November 2005 as chair of the downtown development committee.

Following his election, Magnifico promoted a plan to turn an abandoned Canada Packers site in his ward into a major indoor recreation complex. The funding for this project never materialized, and it did not come to fruition. He also supported a controversial plan to build an OlyWest pork producing plant in the vicinity of his ward. This was unpopular with ward residents, and was abandoned when the provincial government withdrew its support. Magnifico was not aligned with any political party in this period, although he acknowledged that he was an opponent of the New Democratic Party.

Former councillor Dan Vandal challenged Magnifico in the 2006 municipal election. Magnifico was endorsed by the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg, and was joined on door-knocking duties by Mayor Katz. The contest was expected to be close, but Vandal ultimately won by a significant margin.