By Emilie Tobin
Diane Holmes will seek re-election in the November municipal election, but will face competition from at least one opponent.
Holmes, who has represented Centretown on both city and regional councils since 1982, says she is running again to finish the work she has already started.
“There are lots of things happening in Centretown that I want to keep working on,” she says. “This is an exciting time.”
However, her opponent George Guirguis, a mechanical engineer who first entered politics by running in the 2003 provincial election, is confident he will be elected.
“In November, you will see me at City Hall,” he says. “City council needs new blood, new ideas.”
One of the projects Holmes is excited about is the LeBreton Flats development. Phase One of the project is underway and Holmes says she will be monitoring its progress.
The project includes a daycare centre, the creation of new parks as well as affordable housing. “There is a never-ending need for more affordable housing in Centretown,” she says.
Guirguis lives in the Bronson Street area, a part of town which he says has been demoralized by drugs and violence, adding that one of the area’s biggest problems is inadequate public housing and a lack of affordable housing.
“Ninety per cent of public housing is not up to decent living standards,” claims Guirguis, adding that he will fight for mandatory health inspections.
Holmes wants to make Centretown greener. “We just received money in the budget to take care of trees and get more of them planted,” she says.
Guirguis also envisions a greener and cleaner city. “Ottawa is filthy,” he says.
“Everywhere I look in the downtown area, there is garbage.” Cleaning up the downtown core is important, he says, because it will help bring tourists to the city.
“When people visit, they will see how beautiful the city is and they will want to come back,” he says. If tourism increases, the city’s economy will prosper as well, says Guirguis.
Holmes’s priorities include the development of commercial areas such as Bank, Sparks and Somerset streets. She says she wants these streets to become more pedestrian friendly which will help increase business traffic.
This is to be achieved by widening the sidewalks, planting more trees, and making businesses more accessible to people. Work on Preston Street is almost finished and the results have been positive, says Holmes.
“Preston Street now has outdoor cafes, more trees, and it is easier for people to walk around that street,” she says. This has increased the traffic for local businesses.
Guirguis believes the key to making Ottawa prosper is to help out small-business owners. “After politicians and bureaucrats, Ottawa is built on small business owners,” he says. Tax breaks will allow small-businesses to survive and will encourage owners to hire more people which is good for the economy,” says Guirguis.
Holmes, who also wants to improve transportation throughout the city, is a supporter of the new concert hall being built on Gloucester Street and wants to ensure there is plenty of community participation in city decisions.
Guirguis says the current city government hasn’t well-represented the people of Centretown.
“There is a lack of communication between the city and its citizens,” he says. “I want to improve that relationship.”
So far, only Guirguis and Holmes have filed nomination papers for the Nov. 13 election.