By Neil Faba
Somerset city Coun. Elisabeth Arnold says residents in her ward will need an experienced voice to fight for their needs in the new City of Ottawa.
As a result, Arnold, who has represented the ward since 1993, has announced she’ll seek re-election for a mega-city council seat in November.
While the actual wards haven’t been decided by the region’s transition team yet, Arnold is one of a handful of candidates to announce their intention to run in the election. She is the first, however, to put her hat in the ring for the future Somerset ward.
Arnold says it’s important that someone familiar with the issues that concern her ward represent them in what will be a much larger city council, especially during the new city’s early years.
“There will be new challenges during the transition, and I will welcome those challenges,” she says.
Arnold says that, if elected, she will continue to focus on those things she has achieved in the Somerset ward over the last several years.
She points to increased social housing, greater community safety, improved transit opportunities for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists, and better parking facilities, as key elements to her ward’s vitality.
“The downtown communities, like Somerset and Dalhousie, need their issues heard loudly and clearly on council,” says Arnold. “If we don’t have a healthy core, we can’t have a healthy city.”
Arnold says her experience will be especially needed on council, with the departure of long-time city and regional councillor Diane Holmes.
Holmes says she will offer Arnold her full support, adding that Arnold has the necessary tools to make a successful transition to the new council.
“She spends time with community groups, as well as with business groups,” says Holmes. “Her office is very efficient, employs great people, and is very good at co-ordinating regional as well as city business.”
Arnold has already tried her hand at politics outside of the current Ottawa city council. She ran as the New Democrat Party’s candidate for Ottawa Centre in the 1999 provincial election, but came in a distant third.