For the first time in Ottawa’s post-amalgamation history, there appears to be a veritable three-horse race for the mayor’s chair at City Hall.
Down the stretch, Alex Munter seems to be leading the pack, Larry O’Brien a close second and incumbent Bob Chiarelli a surprising third. Bringing up the rear are those so-called “fringe” candidates, who have no hope of winning.
Yet as we witness the run down the homestretch, we wonder whether any of these three main mayoral candidates have what it takes to effectively run the $2-billion conglomerate that is the City of Ottawa.
Take Larry O’Brien. Though a self-made millionaire, he has no experience in municipal politics. He may spin this as a fresh beginning for the city, but there are certain nuances to policy making that are only gained through experience. Better he should have run for city council the first time around, leaving the mayoralty for another day.
So we are left with Chiarelli and Munter. Yet before placing an ‘X’ beside either of their names, we need to consider what sort of choice that really amounts to.
Both are – shock of shocks – against poverty and crime. They’re for fiscal responsibility, gay rights and any number of fine sounding principles. Unfortunately, both are burdened by an ideological sameness.
Essentially, the only political schism remaining as we approach Nov. 13 is Chiarelli’s legacy project: Light-Rail Transit.
Amid volumes of rhetorical flourishes, Munter and O’Brien have promised to scrap or radically alter the project because they see it as an expensive mistake. The only way for the project to remain on track as originally conceived is to re-elect Chiarelli,
However, to re-elect Chiarelli would be to relive the host of errors already committed. Since his lacklustre reign began in 2000, the city has not experienced any great leaps forward. Rather, while Chiarelli has been busy playing with toy trains, Ottawa has been subjected to a pronounced urban retrenchment where roads and infrastructure are collapsing even as we speak.
The choice is between Chiarelli and Munter. But that is more cosmetic than real. Bob Chiarelli is past his “best before” date. That leaves Munter. At least he is a fresh face – if not in municipal politics, than at least in the mayor’s office.
Political jockeying is also a feature in Somerset Ward, where Diane Holmes, derisiviely called the Queen of Ward 14 by some her opponents, has come under heavy fire from her challengers.
Unfortunately, even though their desire for public service can’t be denied, at least three of these candidates can likely be discounted as contenders for Holmes’s throne. Only Luc Lapointe seems a credible alternative. But what to make of a candidate running for city council who professed to know nothing about the city’s much-publicized 20/20 plan until relatively recently?
In the end, the only real choice for voters is the experience of Holmes. She’s not the perfect choice – who is? – but her record is impressive enough overall to warrant returning her to city hall for another term.
–Brent T. Jolly