Mayors of Ottawa

[waterloowarrior]

Well, 3 years left for Larry O'Brien as of this month (or sooner if something major develops with the Kilrea story)... who should be running in 2010?

I'm hoping that Peter Hume runs, he really understands a lot of planning issues and he's been a key promoter of LRT. I've also noticed that he's voted to approve some developments (880 Greenbriar, 594 Rideau) that were recommended for approval by staff but voted down by council due to NIMBY opposition.

Here's a story I found from the ottawabusinessjournal.com about this issue

The weigh-in for the next mayoral bout begins

By Ottawa Business Journal Staff
Tue, Oct 16, 2007 4:00 PM EST


Although municipal elections are now four – rather than three – years apart, I am happy to say that it hasn't stopped people from talking about the next one.

Despite the fact that the next election is just over three years away, there are some interesting dynamics taking place on the hallowed grounds of city hall. When a mayor is having problems, it makes those with high aspirations sit up and take notice. This mayor is having his share of issues and a potential mayoralty opponent, I believe, is starting to mark his place.

Coun. Peter Hume has been a councillor for a long time. In fact, Mr. Hume has been around the corridors of city hall for most if not all of his working life. Prior to his election to council, he served as a councilors' assistant.

Because he has been around and knows how things work, he can see a number of scenarios taking place.

Number one on the list is a premature vacancy in the mayor's office for whatever reason. If and when this does occur, council will be faced with a couple of alternatives. One would be a full city-wide vote. The second would be an internal selection by council.

And then of course, there is the next election. With the mayor having his share of problems, it leaves a lot of room for a serious contender. And that's what Mr. Hume is setting himself up as.

No matter what happens with the mayor's future or with his policies, there will be opponents looking for someone to fill the void. They will want to see leadership; they will want to see someone opposed to the mayor and they will want to see someone capable of bringing people together. And don't forget we are talking about perception and not necessarily reality, so whoever aspires for the big corner office will have to work the media pretty hard.

And that's what is making Mr. Hume's intention so obvious. He has never been as active with the media as he has been over the last couple of months. And his communication with and through the media seems to be focused on one theme – if the mayor is for it, I'm against. It not only separates him from the mayor, but it provides an easy choice for those opposed to what the mayor represents or is proposing. In addition, it makes him the logical choice for the media when they go looking, as they usually do, for a quote opposing the mayor's policies.

The current example is Lansdowne Park. Once the site of important CFL games, which very often pitted two top contenders against one another in a preview of the Grey Cup, it is now an issue that could serve as a prelude to the 2010 municipal election. Whereas the mayor has suggested that council should act quickly on a proposal put forward by four local business people, Mr. Hume has teamed with Coun. Clive Doucet to propose an international competition that would decide where we go with Lansdowne Park. It will be interesting to watch this issue move over the next few months in terms of how councillors line up. It could be a preview of things to come.

And then there was the battle of proposed budget options which took place at the corporate services committee a couple of weeks ago. On one side we had the mayor proposing that he review all new hires and consultancy agreements. On the other, you had Mr. Hume proposing a freeze on all new hires.

Get used to it. You are going to see a lot more of that over the next few months and possibly years.

Jeff Polowin is senior vice-president with Hill and Knowlton Canada where he heads up its Ottawa municipal public affairs practice. In addition, he is the municipal affairs analyst for CTV Ottawa. He served as director of communications for mayor Jim Durrell.