Ottawa Sun
Published: Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Start getting ready: Next November will be here sooner than you think

With the news from Capital Ward Coun. Clive Doucet that he may not run again in next year’s municipal election, his musings lead nicely into a broader and speculative look at what could transpire in November 2010.

While most attention is focused on who will contest the mayor’s chair next year, to date only one candidate has unequivocally stated an interest in running, Bay Ward Coun. Alex Cullen. Mayor Larry O’Brien has yet to weigh in on whether he will run again while local politicos are placing strong bets that Coun. Peter Hume will likely take the plunge and that Municipal Affairs Minister Jim Watson also covets a return to Ottawa and the local issues on which he has built his political pedigree.

And just yesterday a colleague told me we shouldn’t rule out the possibility of a Chiarelli mayoral candidacy, not Rick, but Bob, as in the former regional chair and mayor, so the ballot next year could be quite crowded with several interesting “grudges” on display as undercurrents during all-candidates’ debates.

The only name not in this mix is Alex Munter who is comfortably seated as head of the Youth Services Bureau. And by all accounts he has brought his considerable energy and drive to lead the YSB through an exciting phase of renewal and growth. Indeed, this experience of running a business, meeting a payroll and delivering on community expectations will make him an even more formidable candidate should he turn his attention to politics in the future. However, Alex has given no indication of such ambition and has smartly avoided any public comment on local issues whatsoever since 2006.

Doucet’s pondering of his own future acutely highlights the importance for voters to really pay attention to local ward races next year and not get distracted by the media fascination with a good mayoral race. The reality of city hall is that we don’t have one mayor; if you have 12 votes on an issue plus your own, you are effectively the mayor for the motion or issue of the moment.

Many of the mayor’s supporters — and city hall critics in general — point to the fact that while citizens overwhelmingly voted for change at the top, they returned a council of incumbents and few newcomers. However, and with all due respect to those who ran for council seats, we can’t really blame the voters of Ottawa for re-electing the familiar faces that surround the council table.

In terms of their experience, understanding of community issues and knowing how to move files through city hall, even those councillors on the political left at city hall were, for the most part, the best candidates on offer.

If we really want to see monumental change at city hall and around the council table, enterprising mayoral candidates will have to fashion platforms that some sitting councillors and new candidates can sign on to either as official slates or looser formed coalitions. And for those folks in Capital Ward and other neighbourhoods who wish to replace retiring incumbents or unseat their present councillor, now is the time to build your campaign team, bone up on local and city issues and learn how city hall, its committees and the bureaucracy work. Next November will be here faster than expected.