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(USGovernment-News.Com, October 04, 2012 ) San Francisco, CA- Reporters are asking Winnipeg’s mayor about an Arizona house he bought from the sister of a Winnipeg developer executive.
Mayor Sam Katz bought the Scottsdale, Ariz., house from Teri Nordstrom. Teri’s sister, Diane Shindleman, is CFO of Shindico, CBC News reported. The transaction took place Aug. 23, according to Maricopa County Recorder’s Office documents.
CBC has reported that Shindico has been linked to controversial real estate sales with the City of Winnipeg.
Katz said that he paid a fair price for the property in Scottsdale and that nothing was amiss with the sale. “When I became mayor, I sold off all my property,” Katz told reporters. “So you know what? If you work hard, wonderful things can happen.”
Katz credited his business achievements for the over $1 million needed to buy the 4,500-square-foot house. He would not detail his relationship with Nordstrom.
“The most transparent thing I did was exactly what I did,” Katz said. “Bought a home, it’s in my name, end of story. Paid fair market value.”
A Canadian ethics expert questioned whether the public interest and Katz’s personal interest were separate enough. Arthur Schafer, a University of Manitoba ethicist, said, “It does not seem proper.”
“It is really worrying, and it does breed cynicism and it undermines public trust,” Schafer told CBC. “And our mayor, it seems, just does not get it.”
Katz has said he paid more than 1 million U.S. dollars for the house. In a statement to CBC, Katz said, “I own a home in Arizona, like many other Manitobans.” Members of the Manitoba Municipal Council are not required by the city’s Conflict of Interest Act to disclose properties they own outside Winnipeg.
Nordstrom bought the newly built house in 2008 from the developer for $1.6 million. The home is in a gated community, and has six bedrooms and a pool.
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