Somerset ward candidates are political opposites
By Chad Paulin
There will be an election in Somerset ward after all.
Kris Schimmel tossed his hat into the ring at the last minute to oppose city Coun. Elisabeth Arnold in the Nov. 10 vote.
“I feel that the way the city’s been run is silly and anti-business,”says Schimmel, 23, a second-year Carleton University psychology student. “It should be concentrating on getting out of debt . . . instead of dealing with issues like bare breasts.”
Schimmel says the city should help small business owners instead of hurting them with restrictive bylaws. As an example, he points to a recent controversy over a billboard on the side of a Byward Market hotel.
The sign, which raises $17,000 a year in rent for the business, was deemed to be too big and an eyesore by the city. But the city eventually backed down from its claim.
“It’s hard enough to make a buck in this city without having the city come down on you like that,” says Schimmel, who also runs a part-time sports collectible business.
Schimmel, who says he’s an active supporter of the Harris government, insists downloading of services from the province to municipalities “has to be done” to save money.
He says if municipalities cut the fat out of their budgets, the downloading won’t cost them any money, calling it “revenue neutral.”
Arnold, however, dismisses the argument that more cuts can be made.
“Our communities can’t survive if we keep cutting back,” she says, adding that while the downloading should be revenue neutral, it isn’t because the province’s budget numbers don’t add up.
Schimmel is one of two candidates running for the Civic Action Party. It was co-founded by Pierre Labelle, whose business was involved in the sign dispute with the city.
The party supports the province’s one-tier government model for the region and a reduced role for the regional government in providing community services. For example, it would give grants to community groups to run swimming pools and hockey rinks.
Again, Arnold disagrees.
“People are concerned about one-tier government,” she says. “They want to know if we’ll be able to maintain our neighborhoods in a bigger city.”
She says communities must lead the charge toward regional reform, and promises to voice Centretown residents’ concerns when the changes take place.
As the race for city council heats up, one thing to watch on election night is how big the margin of victory will be for the winning candidate.
The ward has a history of close races in recent years. In 1994, Arnold won by 26 votes over incumbent Peter Harris. Three years earlier, Harris beat Arnold by about 250 votes.
With a month to go until the municipal election, one result is certain — Somerset ward regional Coun. Diane Holmes is heading back to council as one of four acclaimed incumbents.
“I think this shows that people in the area feel that their issues are being addressed,” says Holmes, adding she views her acclamation as a vote of confidence.
Holmes won’t be watching the election from the sidelines, however. She says she’ll continue to knock on people’s doors to hear consituents’ concerns.
She plans to work with community groups to attract new businesses and residents to the downtown core to fill buildings left vacant by federal civil service cuts. She says the high vacancy rate may lead to an erosion of the area, resulting in a drop in tourism.
“I think the downtown core is the heart of the region,” she says. “If we have empty buildings and storefronts, that will undermine our city.”