By Bill Curry
The new one-city plan sets the stage for a dramatic political battle between Ottawa’s two most socially active politicians.
City Coun. Elisabeth Arnold and regional Coun. Diane Holmes will have to compete for the sole councillor job in Somerset ward, should Glen Shortcliffe’s recomendations for amalgamation be approved by the Ontario government.
Both councillors are currently waiting to see what the province does with the report before making a final decision on whether they will run in the upcoming election, which is expected to happen within a year.
Holmes says she is hoping the province might allow for two councillors per ward.
“(Somerset ward) is a lot of responsibility for one councillor,” she says.
Shortcliffe released the report on Nov. 26, recommending the dissolution of all levels of municipal government and replacing them with a one-tier body to be called the City of Ottawa.
The city will adopt the same wards as the current regional system.
The restructuring reduces the number of municipal politicians from 84 to 19, meaning many wards will be contested between sitting regional councillors and current city councillors.
Holmes says she has developed a “working friendship” with Arnold over the years, but that she wouldn’t stay out of the race simply because Arnold was running.
“That’s democracy,” she says.
“We work quite closely together and we have very much the same philosophy. We both focus on safety and the community.”
Arnold says she hasn’t ruled out the possibility of running in the new municipal government election, and will probably make the decision early in the new year.
“I would consider it and I’ll be talking to Diane about it,” she says.
“I think people know my record as a hard worker and an effective councillor,” she says. “The biggest issue for me is how can I best help the community.”
Arnold says that if she doesn’t run, she may consider returning to the not-for-profit sector, where she worked before she became a councillor in 1994.
Peter Harris, the executive director of the Preston Street Business Improvement Area and a former municipal councillor, says he’d be very surprised if Holmes and Arnold ran against each other because they have such similar political views.
“The race for Somerset will be interesting because we’ve got two councillors and they’re both (left-leaning),” he says.
Arnold ran unsuccessfully for the New Democratic Party in the last provincial election. Holmes does not publicly support a political party.
Katherine Graham, associate dean of the faculty of public affairs and management at Carleton University, specializes in municipal politics. She says she doesn’t think being from a specific level of municipal government offers any advantages to either candidate.
“In the city there’s a fair amount of congruence between wards,” she says.
“Both city and regional councillors make quite an effort to get their name out. It’s part name recognition and part experience.”