By Candace Wilson
With the Ottawa municipal elections just over a month away, candidates are scrambling to take the place of current Somerset Ward Coun. Elisabeth Arnold.
Diane Holmes, Mike Jung, Dawn Pickering, David MacDonald, William Ostapyk and Bill Driver have all announced their intention to run for Arnold’s seat in the upcoming election.
“With the retirement of the current sitting councillor, I thought about it and decided that I was really interested in running,” says Holmes. “There are many things that need careful work in the community.”
For example, Holmes says she will focus on the redevelopment of LeBreton Flats.
“There are lots of priorities, one being the LeBreton Flats development and making sure it occurs as per the plan that we now have in place with lots of housing and some commercial development,” says Holmes.
“We want to make sure it’s pedestrian oriented and is developed at a scale that makes for a good living and working space.”
Holmes is no stranger to local politics. She began her career in 1982 when elected to Ottawa city council.
Holmes stepped down from most of her current duties to focus on the election, but was part of the Council for the Arts in Ottawa.
Candidate Jung runs a consulting firm working with charitable organizations to develop fundraising campaigns.
He says he’s running for councillor because the current administration isn’t working responsibly.
“My basic reason for running is a lack of accountability at city hall, particularly in terms of taxes,” says Jung.
“It’s frustrating to see money going to city hall and not being able to see where it’s going and how it’s being spent.”
Jung says he will focus attention on creating a plan to allocate city funds in an appropriate manner.
“We need to take a serious look at how the money is being spent here in the city and get away from throwing stones provincially and federally,” says Jung. “We need to get on with becoming a little bit more aware of how the money is being spent.”
Candidate Pickering says budgeting and taxes are the city’s most pressing issues.
“The city is grappling with a $126 million overhaul,” says Pickering. “The city has been plagued with all kinds of budgetary concerns.”
Pickering says her business background will help her.
“I’m sure that the other candidates are sincere in their devotion to the residents but I’m not sure that everyone is really prepared to make the tough decisions and stand up for them,” says Pickering.
“I’m here to make good decisions in the best interest of the city.”
Driver, MacDonald and Ostapyk could not be reached for comment.
Somerset Ward’s list of candidates will be finalized on Sept. 30 and its constituents will go to the polls Nov. 10.