Coun. Diane Holmes shows off a souvenir of the demolished yellow building on Gladstone Avenue at her election victory celebration.
On a day when incumbency was no guarantee of electoral success, Diane Holmes coasted to an easy victory in Somerset Ward for the eighth consecutive time.
The veteran councillor, who has represented downtown Ottawa since 1983, on city and regional council, easily turned back challengers Don Fex, Susan Miller and Barkley Pollock.
Receiving 66.5 per cent of the 9,445 votes cast, Holmes increased her share of votes from the last election when she took 63 per cent. Fex came in second with 21.4 per cent, followed by Miller with 8.58 per cent and finally Pollock with 3.48 per cent.
Standing on a chair, she addressed her supporters in the crowded backroom of the Yang Sheng Chinese Restaurant on Somerset Street.
Holmes thanked them for their help and even handed out gifts wrapped in yellow paper to her campaign workers.
“This is a continuation of the partnership that I have with so many neighbourhoods . . . When we do work together with our staff, we do wonderful things,” Holmes told about 30 supporters.
Holmes was presented with a a yellow brick from a house recently torn down on Gladstone Avenue.
“I look forward to four more years of working with you and I’m so pleased you’ve come out tonight to help me move forward to the next four years,” she said. “It’s going to be exciting, different, but I really look forward to it.”
Holmes says her first priority for council will be to move forward with the Light Rail Transit plan.
“I don’t think we’ll keep the federal and provincial money if we don’t move forward,” she said in a later interview. “I can’t imagine they’ll say yes to another three year study, so it’s really important.”
The $2-billion project is being funded mostly by the federal and provincial governments; only $75 million is from city coffers which, Holmes said, is good for Ottawa.
“In the past, Ottawa’s income taxes, both provincially and federally, have gone to Toronto, for their infrastructure, for their arts and culture,” she said. “Finally we’re getting some of our own tax money back to be invested in this city. So it’s good news.”
Fex said in an interview he is disappointed, but is not upset that Holmes won re-election.
“(Holmes) is a good councillor, she’s done good work,” Fex said. “But she’s been a little complacent in the past four years and there’s a bunch of projects that she hasn’t pushed through and that she’s postponed . . . I just hope she executes her promises this time around.”
Fex, who is undecided as to whether he will run again, plans to start a Centretown young voters association.
“Hopefully we can start now and actually build interest in municipal politics with the younger population of Centretown, so that when four years comes around . . . the youth in the neighbourhood are much more engaged in the process,” Fex said.
In school board races, Jennifer McKenzie defeated newcomer Megan Carroll for the Ottawa-Carleton School Board Zone 10 trustee position. McKenzie had 75 per cent of the 15,749 votes cast.
Thérèse Cousineau of the Ottawa Catholic School Board was re-elected by a narrow margin with 35.33 per cent of 2,836 votes, beating Megan Crowe and Tom Duggan.
In both the French school boards, the candidates are acclaimed.
Jean-Paul Lafond will remain trustee for the French-Public board and Diane Doré will remain trustee for the French-Catholic.
• with files from Abigail Lowe