By Dara Hakimzadeh
When Somerset councillor-elect Diane Holmes takes office in December, her first priority will be making sure the cash-strapped city can pay for a pedestrian bridge across the Rideau Canal and an expanded transit system — two campaign promises that helped propel her to a landslide victory in this month’s municipal election.
After representing Somerset Ward for 18 years, then taking a three year break, Holmes made her triumphant return to municipal politics when she beat out seven candidates and captured 63 per cent of the ward’s vote in the Nov. 7 election.
“The cities in Ontario are so underfunded. The provincial funding has cut the funding to the degree where we can’t do normal business, like we can’t be paving roads and fixing sewers and water. It’s ridiculous,” Holmes said as she sipped a glass of red wine at her Bronson Avenue headquarters on the night of her victory.
“Edmonton and Calgary get two cents of the gas tax. The province considers those cities to be prime commercial growth centres. The Conservative government in Ontario thought the cities were to be raped” of their resources to save money, says the left-of-centre politician.
Holmes says the city’s financial situation must be managed, and that she’s considering a gasoline tax and a surcharge on vehicle licenses to reduce property taxes. Before she decides what to do about her affordable housing, transit and “greening Ottawa” projects, however, she’ll consult the public from January to March next year.
Holmes acknowledges campaign promises like affordable housing, a greener Ottawa and a better transit system may take years.
She’s also concerned about fixing street grading to stop ponds forming on properties and studying traffic light signals to improve car movement around the city.
“The growth in traffic, at commuter time, has got to be through transit. It has to come into the central business district through the O-Train or the Transitway. People in this ward really need good transit,” she says.
Holmes says she’s glad she came out of retirement to represent her community at City Hall, something she missed while doing volunteer work like planting trees along Highway 417 with the Centretown Citizens’ Community Association.
Some of her campaign helpers say her face-to-face charm ensured her return.
“She knocked on 10,000 doors and didn’t take anything for granted.
She didn’t think she’d be a shoe-in because she had all that experience. It was like starting over for her,” says Robert Smythe, her campaign co-chair.
“When you’re in the middle of a campaign, it’s like being in the eye of a hurricane. You can’t tell what is going on. You’re mired by a lot of details. The payoff is really sweet.,”he says.
Holmes’ son, Thane Holmes, and rival candidate Sotos Petrides visited Holmes’ campaign headquarters to congratulate her before the celebrations ended.
“I’m pleased that Diane managed to clearly define a platform that will be good for the residents of Centretown,” says Petrides.
Thane Holmes praises his mother’s experience. “For my mother who’s been around since 1984, she’ll know how to get the things done that she wants done.
I don’t think retirement suited her very well.”