Winnipeg, MB - Mayor Sam Katz today congratulated Councillor Devi Sharma on her election to the position of Speaker of Council.
Members of council elected Sharma at the annual Council reorganizational meeting this morning, making her the first female Speaker in Winnipeg City Council’s 139 year history. She takes over the duties of Council Speaker from Councillor Grant Nordman, who presided over Council for three-and-a-half years.
“It is a pleasure to congratulate Councillor Sharma and welcome her to the Speaker’s chair,” said Mayor Katz. “A very capable Councillor, I am confident that she will perform her new role with the balance and composure the position requires.”
Councillor Sharma was first elected to Council in 2010, representing the Old Kildonan ward. She is the first Indo-Canadian elected to Winnipeg's municipal government.
The role of Speaker of Council is to chair meetings of Council, maintain order and decorum, and decide questions of order.