Ottawa Municipal Election 2010

[Ottawan]

Originally Posted by m0nkyman

Other provinces get by without an OMB equivalent. Without it, cities wouldn't just say not to everything knowing that the OMB will approve it anyway. They would have to be more responsible. Not a bad thing.

Possibly. But there would still be a right to challenge an improper administrative decision of Council regarding development - and if there was no OMB, this would go directly to a court. So while the initial decisions might be more responsible, when there is a wrongful decision we would be going right away to a more drawn out and costly process with a less specialized body.

[c_speed3108]

The interesting thing to me is that for all the anti-OMB talk I can't really think of any development that the OMB has approved where I would say, after all is said and done and things are built, that the sky has fallen.

Most things seem to work out just fine. The only possible complaints are more on the philosophical side, rather than the practical.

[Cre47]

O'Brien once again making a big snafu today. Though it's not really on a major topic for us in this forum and actually wasn't a major campaign issue at all.

http://www.ottawasun.com/news/ottawa/2010/10/06/15598611.html

[Dado]

That's nothing. Andy Haydon's self-immolation is now complete:

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/munici...+Haydon+vision+Ottawa/3634256/story.html

... building a new dam across the Ottawa River at the Deschênes Rapids with the rock from his bus tunnel and running a road across it...

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Jim Watson could tap dance naked down Laurier Ave. and STILL manage to win this election. That's how laughably bad his opposition is.

[reidjr]

Originally Posted by Jamaican-Phoenix

Jim Watson could tap dance naked down Laurier Ave. and STILL manage to win this election. That's how laughably bad his opposition is.

What i don't get it watson like him or hate him has some very good ideas.Larry as much as i respect him he just does not seem interested in brining his a game for what ever reason.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Originally Posted by reidjr

What i don't get it watson like him or hate him has some very good ideas.Larry as much as i respect him he just does not seem interested in brining his a game for what ever reason.

Watson comes across as false to me, but he's clearly the best candidate running right now. He's said and done some things as an MPP that I didn't necessarily like or found somewhat stupid or meddlesome, but I'll probably vote for him just because he's done the job before and seems to have done it well.

[reidjr]

Originally Posted by Jamaican-Phoenix

Watson comes across as false to me, but he's clearly the best candidate running right now. He's said and done some things as an MPP that I didn't necessarily like or found somewhat stupid or meddlesome, but I'll probably vote for him just because he's done the job before and seems to have done it well.

Out of all of them i think he is the only one that can get the job done.I have never voted for a liberal before so this will be a first for me.

[Ottawan]

Originally Posted by Jamaican-Phoenix

Watson comes across as false to me, but he's clearly the best candidate running right now. He's said and done some things as an MPP that I didn't necessarily like or found somewhat stupid or meddlesome, but I'll probably vote for him just because he's done the job before and seems to have done it well.

I agree exactly with this statement, if you change "seems to have done it well" to "seems to have done not horribly".

Also, let's remember that the job Watson did before is nothing like the current mayoral position. He was Mayor of the City of Ottawa in its last term of existance (ie, when everyone knew it was irrelevant, and that the regional chair (Bob Chiarelli) had the power). The City had a population around 300,000 compared to today's amalgamated population of 900,000. Running on 'experience' for Watson is actually more false than for Larry.

That said, O'Brien's Gaffes as Mayor have been compounded by his inability to sound at all reasonable or to be a thinking human being on the campaign trail. So Watson remains the best of the poor lot.

And reidjr, don't worry about voting 'Liberal' - Watson has no convictions of any kind. He isn't truly a Liberal, he's a Marshmallow.

[Cre47]

O'Brien: I'll cut 1,000 city jobs

But rival points out municipal employment has ballooned under mayor's watch

By SUSAN SHERRING, Ottawa Sun

Mayor Larry O’Brien says he’ll cut 1,000 jobs from the city’s bureaucracy if re-elected.

O’Brien made the commitment on Thursday morning’s mayoral debate organized by TV station A-Channel's morning show.

O’Brien said the best way to reduce sick leave - which costs the city about $28 million a year - is to reduce staff and those who remain more work. This isn’t the first time O’Brien has talked about reducing the size of the city’s bureaucracy - now at around 17,000 to 18,000 depending on the season.

He made a pledge to reduce employees during the last campaign and throughout much of his first term. But documents recently revealed the number of employees at Ottawa City Hall has grown, with salaries and benefits now costing the city more than $1.2 billion per year.

Over the last four years, the city's payroll has expanded by 16%.

Since 2006, more employees were hired than fired, with 2,500 new employees joining the city's payroll.

O’Brien blamed the increases on his city councillors.

“Each of those employees cost about $100,000 a year. I’m going to cut between 1.5% to 2% of the (bureaucracy). That’s a significant portion of being able to get to my target of zero," O'Brien said. “There may be some things that will come up over the next four years. I don’t have a crystal ball. But I will get as close to zero as humanly possible."

Mayoral candidate Jim Watson has called for a hiring freeze, except for emergency workers.

“You go on about a massive purging of city hall. Under your term, we’ve seen a 16% increase in staff. That’s 1,180 employees come in on your watch,” Watson said.

Capital Coun. Clive Doucet and Andy Haydon also participated in the debate.

[Cre47]

Not sure if it is mentionned on English media but Le Droit has an article shows some Watson idea for the 150th Anniversary of the Confederation.

It includes a new Museum of Science and Techonology at Lebreton Flats (on of the two best locations with E.B Eddy), a "Museum of Canada (or probably Museum of Canada not sure) at the former Train Station downtown or the former US embassy on Wellington as well as an outdoor Senators game and the return of the Grey Cup.

[lrt's friend]

I didn't watch the debate on A channel this morning but I heard some snippets.

Why does Larry continue to insult people? Calling Andy Haydon 'past his best before date' is a personal slight. This is continuation of a pattern. He seems to insult everybody at one time or another. Whether it is his fellow councillors, city staff, union members and now his election opponents. I don't like this kind of behaviour. What amazed me was the number of radio callers who justified Larry's comment, and many were seniors themselves.

Then in another comment, he clearly wants to pick a fight with all city unions. How can this possibly be productive, no matter how you feel about unions? It is possible to be tough with unions without making it clear in advance that you want a showdown with them.

I have never been impressed with O'Brien and his ongoing behaviour just reinforces my initial opinion of him in 2006. Who I will vote for is still unclear but it won't be O'Brien? I find Watson so wishy-washy but he may lead us in the right direction with a consensus on council. I don't like Doucet's Glebe-centric view on Lansdowne. I really want to see LRT in Ottawa (although I hate the current plan) but Haydon's bus tunnel at least improves our Transitway system almost certainly at less cost. Maguire doesn't seem to have any vision for improving transit downtown while implementing a lower cost city-wide rail plan.

I may need to hold my nose while voting. Nobody really stands out.

[lrt's friend]

Here is some video links to the debate

http://www.youtube.com/user/AMorningVideo#p/u/2/fZCfqxE6WQ4

http://www.youtube.com/user/AMorningVideo#p/u/1/gneQeq27JXQ

In the first video, Clive Doucet makes my major LRT concern perfectly clear, No new service, no new revenue.

[Dado]

I watched the debate the other night from the NAC on Rogers with Sheila Copps as moderator.

At the end was one of these "stupid" questions that actually turned out to be quite revealing of O'Brien's character.

The four of them were asked what superhero character or superpower they would most like to be/have.

Doucet answered Spiderman. Watson answered the power to heal (*gag* but nonetheless the kind of safe answer one expects from Watson). Haydon had the good sense to say "can't top that" and O'Brien finished off by saying he would want to have the power to make other people stop talking/be quiet (or words to that effect).

I'll bet his handlers, and poor Jasmine McDonnell, were wishing they had just that power over O'Brien at that moment.

This kind of thing is in line with O'Brien's slight to Haydon and, indeed, his entire "action over politics" theme. It's a fundamentally anti-democratic view of the world. O'Brien basically wants to be elected mayor-dictator.


I'm sort of leaning to Doucet just to get his numbers above Haydon's. I think it would be a sad day for someone with an antiquated vision of the city like Haydon to poll higher than someone with a more urban vision of the city like Doucet. Doucet is virtually alone in having at least some sense in what makes a city livable.

In the longer term, I really hope David Chernuschenko gets elected in Capital ward. I could well see him being mayoral material in one or two terms' time because he has that sense of what makes a city livable but he's also aware of practicalities while being articulate as well. And I really don't want to see the city's NIMBY-in-chief, Bob Brocklebank, get onto council, either.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

I'm probably going to vote Watson since he's the least bad one of the entire lot. As For David Chernushenko, he should've been the Green Party leader. He would've been better than Elizabeth May.

[waterloowarrior]

Mayor O'Brien has proposed cutting 1000 jobs at City Hall, singling out the Planning and Growth Management department

“For example, I believe that our Planning and Growth Management team can get the job done with 400 staff, rather than the 439 staff they have today. Everyone in the modern economy has to strive for efficiencies; there should be no exemption at City Hall.”

http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/greaterottawa/archive/2010/10/07/o-brien-1-0.aspx

should be a nice morale boost for 110

[Proof Sheet]

Originally Posted by waterloowarrior

Mayor O'Brien has proposed cutting 1000 jobs at City Hall, singling out the Planning and Growth Management department



http://communities.canada.com/ottawacitizen/blogs/greaterottawa/archive/2010/10/07/o-brien-1-0.aspx

should be a nice morale boost for 110

As a person who is at 110 about once or twice a week, (and usually in the Planning Dep't), my impression is that the atmosphere between mayor/councillors and staff is caustic. Both groups have no respect for the other.

Having said all that, when I'm waiting for meetings in the Planning Dep't, often times people there for the 1st time are often amazed at all the people in the Pl'g Dep't (courtesy of the staff directory phone book) and their comments are usually along the lines of 'what do all these people do here'. etc. In driving through the City I see public notification signs with staff members names on them that I have no idea who they are...I'm not aware of many staff members leaving or retiring which makes me think that there has been hiring going on.

My problems are not with individual staff members...it is the system which is so byzantine in its operation with little sharing of information. Many homeowners,builders, developers, commercial operators etc could file a site plan application on their own, but they hire planning consultants to filter all of the crap from the owner.

The mistake would be to cut back on the policy end of things...that is where the corporate knowledge is and the long term thinking....some of the development application processing (especially non-controversial items) could be handled by contract staff or outside consultants (with no conflict of interest). Unfortunately, for thinkers like O'Brien policy planners do not represent cost recovery from incoming application fees.

[rodionx]

Originally Posted by Dado

That's nothing. Andy Haydon's self-immolation is now complete:

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/munici...+Haydon+vision+Ottawa/3634256/story.html

... building a new dam across the Ottawa River at the Deschênes Rapids with the rock from his bus tunnel and running a road across it...

His platform has taken a turn toward the pharaonic... He will tame rivers. He will build mighty roads. He will claim the surrounding lands and principalities as a second greenbelt, larger than the first.

We'll find out for sure next week, when he reveals his plans for the homeless. It may involve dragging stones to Deschenes rapids.

[adam-machiavelli]

I think a second Greenbelt would be a good idea if as a compromise, lands along transit corridors in the existing Greenbelt that are suitable for urban development are developed. I don't think there should be any new development west of Stittville, south of Barrhaven, and east of Orleans. An urban growth boundary won't stop sprawl. Only a greenbelt like the one around Toronto will stop sprawl.

As for who I'm voting for for mayor, my answer is Clive Doucet. I'd made up my mind quite a while ago.

[reidjr]

Originally Posted by adam-machiavelli

I think a second Greenbelt would be a good idea if as a compromise, lands along transit corridors in the existing Greenbelt that are suitable for urban development are developed. I don't think there should be any new development west of Stittville, south of Barrhaven, and east of Orleans. An urban growth boundary won't stop sprawl. Only a greenbelt like the one around Toronto will stop sprawl.

As for who I'm voting for for mayor, my answer is Clive Doucet. I'd made up my mind quite a while ago.

The probleam is not all but some aginst devlopment want canada to bring there population up to 130 million if that happens ottawa's population would be around 7 million so we need devlopment if we go that route.