So I initially thought about trying to live blog the State of the City speech, but figured that would be a little annoying to my tablemates. Besides, the post would have mostly amounted to me just typing “Why did I pay for this crap?” over and over again, mixed in with a few witty observations on how Mayor Katz is trying to fashion himself into McGruff, The Crime Dog.
I also would have mentioned the ridiculous length of the event, which included an extended sales pitch for Brier tickets, a seemingly endless promo video for the Museum of Human Rights, and His Worship’s 45-minute long address. I really had to wonder how much productivity was lost by having 1,000 business leaders stuck in a luncheon for all that time.
As it turns out, Prairie Topiary posted a much more eloquent summary of the speech than I would have produced anyway. My favourite part is his commentary on Katz’s fixation with the CrimeStat program:
What’s going to be the highlight of next year’s address: how Excel formulas helped improve the city’s accounting workload? How city vehicles slid around less after being installed with winter tires?
The Freep’s Dan Lett also had some great thoughts on the speech, pointing out that Katz’s reputation as a salesman and entertainer continues to be nearly invisible in his work at City Hall.
Now I’m not saying the guy has to give an Obama-like performance at every news conference, but you’d think he could demonstrate just a little passion and imagination during what’s supposed to be his big address of the year.
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Filed under: Uncategorized | Tagged: City of Winnipeg, sam katz
