Parks, rats and light rail are some issues facing Somerset Ward residents, according to the four candidates for its seat on city council in this year’s civic election – Don Fex, Diane Holmes, Susan Miller and Barkley Pollock.
Diane Holmes
Holmes points to her past city council achievements as reasons why she should be re-elected.
She says she views the downtown tunnel and light rail transit plan as the primary issue in this campaign.
“For my ward, it’s very important to have as many people on transit and out of their private vehicles as possible,” she says. “We have the concept plan (for the tunnel) pretty well finalized and the funding. So now it’s into the detail design work.”
Don Fex
Fex says he joined the Somerset Ward race as a way of bringing a brand-new perspective to city council, as he has never been involved in city politics.
Fex says he is in favour of the tunnel and light rail plan, but that changes need to be made now to ease traffic congestion in the core.
“The ideal is obviously the train, but we’re not there yet and I don’t think we can ignore the fact that our downtown is gridlocked,” he says.
Fex’s main plan includes freezing bus fares and reducing the number of Gatineau buses coming across the bridge.
Susan Miller
Pollock decided to run because he feels it’s important to have a public job and he agrees with Holmes and Fex that the downtown tunnel needs to be completed.
“The tunnel is a big investment in downtown and I don’t think we want to miss out,” Pollock says.
Miller joined the race because she says she has more energy than Holmes and fresh initiatives.
“I am not a fan of a tunnel in downtown because that will kill businesses," Miller says.
She says she thinks discussion needs to take place between city councillors to solve the transit issue in Ottawa.
In addition to transit concerns, both Fex and Miller want more done about public space in Centretown.
Fex’s plan includes looking at run-down heritage buildings and turning those sites into parks rather than allowing them to fall into further disrepair, while Miller wants more trees in the ward.
Holmes says Somerset Ward is currently collecting money from parklands to funnel into improving some of the ward’s existing parks.
That money, she says, is being used to build a fence at St. Luke’s Park between the basketball courts and the children’s wading pool as well as improving the dog park at Jack Purcell Park by putting in crushed granite to prevent mud and dust.
In addition to Fex’s agenda for transit and public space, he says he also wants art to be more of a priority in city council.
He wants to provide more resources to artists rather than grant money. For example, Fex says, instead of giving art grants, give artists two weeks of free space to work in.
Pollock says he wants property taxes to remain low. He proposes a one-per-cent increase each year for the next four years.
Miller says she wants the rat issue in Centretown addressed by the city.
“Nobody’s talking about the rat issue in Somerset Ward,” Miller says. “There are rats everywhere. If you’re waiting for a bus at Rideau Centre (Rideau-Vanier Ward), you can see the big rats passing by at night.”