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.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

I'd vote for Peter Hume.

[Mille Sabords]

Same here. Not only does Hume get planning, he also has respect for the municipal institution.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

It also seems that the majority of council will usually back up Hume.

[lrt's friend]

Peter Hume seems to be sensible choice and will likely build consensus on council needed to get things done.

I am totally convinced that if Alex Munter had become mayor, we would be going through almost the same chaos on transportation as we are now.

Some bring up Diane Deans' name but she always seems to get so hysterical. At least that's the way she comes across.

[Rathgrith]

Wow Lex Luther's mandate isn't even 1/4 done and you're already speculating for the next election!

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Five bucks says that Mr. Clean doesn't get re-elected.

[p_xavier]

Originally Posted by Jamaican-Phoenix

Five bucks says that Mr. Clean doesn't get re-elected.

Five bucks he won't even last his 4 years

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Originally Posted by d_jeffrey

Five bucks he won't even last his 4 years

You're on.

I hope he gets kicked out of office, but I just have a feeling that he's gonna get off fairly clean...

[clynnog]

Originally Posted by Jamaican-Phoenix

Five bucks says that Mr. Clean doesn't get re-elected.

Ten bucks says that if he makes it through this term unscathed and w/o an OPP charge, he won't run again. I honestly don't think he has the aptitude to stick it out dealing with the infighting/backstabbing/narrow horizon thinking that goes on at Ottawa City Council and Ottawa City Hall in general.

[Rathgrith]

well this article seems all but dead so I am going to try to revive things with this:

Mayor booked at OPP station
O'Brien's first date in court later this week
Gary Dimmock, The Ottawa Citizen
Published: Monday, January 07, 2008

Mayor Larry O'Brien, facing trial on charges that he attempted to bribe an opponent out of the 2006 municipal race, left the Ontario Provincial Police station in Kanata Monday morning after being booked and fingerprinted.

Mr. O'Brien, just back from a Florida vacation, arrived at the Ontario Provincial Police station in Kanata just before 10 a.m. He was greeted by a pack of reporters.

"I feel like a rock star," O'Brien said. "It must be a bigger story than I thought." The mayor emerged from the police station less than half an hour later, again chatting with reporters.

None of the criminal charges - attempted bribery and purported influence peddling - have been proven in court. Mr. O'Brien, 58, has publicly said he believes he's innocent.

Privately, he's told his family that he's innocent and that the truth will come out at trial.

Monday morning marks the multimillionaire's first step in what could be a long trip through the criminal justice system.

His first court date is scheduled for Wednesday, but he is not expected to attend. He is not required by law to appear and can instead be represented by a lawyer.

Mr. O'Brien, who has said he is embarrassed by the criminal charges, has made it clear that he intends to plead not guilty and fight to clear his name.

He is accused of offering Terry Kilrea, a former opponent, help to land a federal appointment if he dropped out of the mayoral campaign.

At the expense and request of the Citizen, Mr. Kilrea swore to the allegations in an affidavit and later passed a polygraph test about its contents.

The Ontario Provincial Police's anti-rackets squad launched a bribery probe last year following an investigative report in the Citizen that documented two meetings between Mr. O'Brien and Mr. Kilrea.

The investigation spanned eight months, with detectives questioning more than 38 witnesses.

The police also relied on search warrants and production orders.

The police also won a court order forcing the Citizen to hand over its Jan. 12, 2007, tape of an interview with Mr. O'Brien, in which he acknowledges talking to Mr. Kilrea about several things, including his rival's out-of-pocket campaign expenses and his interest in sitting on the National Parole Board.

The detectives also were granted a search warrant to seize the mayor's e-mail correspondence after the Citizen featured some messages in the newspaper, and a court order to seize the mayor's phone records from Calian Technologies Ltd., the publicly-traded company he founded in 1982.

Police detectives also tried to confirm if Mr. O'Brien met with John Baird, the federal environment minister whose office handles requests for political appointments.

In an affidavit to win a court order for reservation and method-of-payment records from Hy's Steakhouse, an upscale restaurant frequented by politicians, Det.-Sgt. Brian Mason wrote:

"I am seeking information and supporting records from Hy's ... to confirm that Larry O'Brien and John Baird met there for lunch during the period when O'Brien was telling Kilrea that he was trying to arrange an appointment to the National Parole Board for him (Kilrea). It is believed through this source (Mr. X) information that Larry O'Brien and John Baird had a dinner at Hy's Steakhouse during the time when Greg Strong (a former vice-president at Calian Technologies) was O'Brien's campaign manager.

The Citizen knows what Mr. X told police, but cannot legally report it because of a publication ban.

Mr. Baird has told the Citizen that he checked his appointment book, which shows no record of a meeting with Mr. O'Brien at Hy's.

Mr. Baird did say that he frequents the restaurant and could have bumped into the mayor in the summer of 2006.

© The Ottawa Citizen 2008

[waterloowarrior]

maybe it will be o'brien again

I'll run again in 2010, O'Brien says
http://www.ottawacitizen.com/news/again+2010+Brien+says/1453088/story.html

BY JAKE RUPERT , THE OTTAWA CITIZENAPRIL 1, 2009 5:02 PM


Ottawa Mayor Larry O’Brien says he’s running for the city’s top job again in 2010.

O’Brien has alluded to running again before, but declined to speak to the Citizen on the subject Wednesday.

However, in a story published in the Kanata Kourier-Standard and Stittsville News papers today and posted online earlier, he took away any doubt in an interview with Nevil Hunt, the papers’ managing editor.

In the interview, O’Brien said he thinks his track record is solid.

“Certainly I’d vote for myself,” the newspapers quote him saying. “I’m not satisfied with the way the City of Ottawa is running. For me to make any truly long-term changes for the benefit of the city, council and I have to find a way to make it run more effectively.

“I don’t think that can happen in one term, I think that takes two terms. I’m not only going to vote for myself, I’m going to run.”

In the months following his 2006 election win, the Ontario Provincial Police began an investigation in allegations O’Brien offered former mayoral candidate Terry Kilrea money and help to get a job on the National Parole Board if he dropped out of the race.

Later, the police charged O’Brien with two criminal offences related to the bribery allegations. He has denied any wrongdoing. His trial is due to begin in May.

If O’Brien is convicted, provincial law demands his removal from office and bans him from future elections. However, if he’s acquitted, he can run for re-election.

Elly Alboim is an associate professor in Carleton University’s journalism and communication school, who specializes in politics and elections.

Alboim said too many things, like who’s running against O’Brien, are unknown so it’s impossible to say what the mayor’s future chances of winning are.

But he said, in the event of an acquittal, he doesn’t think the matter will influence how people vote. Instead, he thinks people will judge O’Brien on his record in office and whether they think he’s the best person in the race for the job.

“There are many more important things, like development of a transit network, in this city,” Alboim said. “I think that’s what people should and would look at, not allegations from years ago from which he was acquitted.”

© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen

[Norman Bates]

"Hubris was also considered the greatest sin of the ancient Greek world. That was so because it was not only proof of excessive pride, but also resulted in violent acts by or to those involved."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubris

Yesterday: Daddy Warbucks = Hubris

http://www.theplatelady.com/newer-images/daddy-warbucks.jpg

Today: Larry O'Brien = Hubris

Tomorrow we learn why this form of 'common sense' conservatism is really a mental disorder.

[Cre47]

I was hoping that it was an April Fool's Prank. Hopefully the same mistake WILL NOT be repeated again if he is not guilty.

[lrt's friend]

Larry O'Brien stated that he needs another term to get the job done right. The baseball stadium demolition still needs to be done, as well as the rest of Frank Clair Stadium. One gets an odd sort of pleasure from using the wrecking ball on the city.

[AuxTown]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Larry O'Brien stated that he needs another term to get the job done right. The baseball stadium demolition still needs to be done, as well as the rest of Frank Clair Stadium. One gets an odd sort of pleasure from using the wrecking ball on the city.

I was thinking both would be great spots for giant gravel parking lots. It could be O'Brien's legacy. It's pretty obvious that he has no vision and no great plan for our city. It's a city that's already pretty great and has a ton of potential, but is doomed to go nowhere without adequate leadership by a worldclass mayor. O'Brien also needs another term to get in the back pocket of a few more shitty suburban developers to ensure his retirement finances don't run out.

[eemy]

Originally Posted by O-Town Hockey

I was thinking both would be great spots for giant gravel parking lots. It could be O'Brien's legacy. It's pretty obvious that he has no vision and no great plan for our city. It's a city that's already pretty great and has a ton of potential, but is doomed to go nowhere without adequate leadership by a worldclass mayor. O'Brien also needs another term to get in the back pocket of a few more shitty suburban developers to ensure his retirement finances don't run out.

It's funny, because, he developed the whole 'Mayor's Taskforce Transit Plan' thing, which, though not my cup of tea, could have been a successful point to launch from and really unite not only city councillors (potentially, due to the comprehensiveness), but also neighbouring municipalities. Instead, it basically was forgotten. It was a wasted opportunity and a waste of money. Instead, his legacy can be one of the most disfunctional city councils I can recall ever, anywhere.

[vid]

We will find out this fall with CBC's "Ottawa's Next Great Mayor", hosted by Mel Lastman and Hazel McCallion's Corpse.

[lrt's friend]

Larry's leadership has been almost entirely without focus except he might be making some progress on his city reorganization, but a great city is not built on internal reorganizations. His biggest failing is a lack of understanding that he must build a coalition at council in order to get his vision approved. Mind you, there appears to be very little in the way of vision for the city and his ideas appear and disappear with a blink of the eye (Expo 2017, mayor's taskforce on transportation etc). I hope the general public sees this lack of leadership and does not return him for a second term.

[Jamaican-Phoenix]

Originally Posted by lrt's friend

Larry's leadership has been almost entirely without focus except he might be making some progress on his city reorganization, but a great city is not built on internal reorganizations. His biggest failing is a lack of understanding that he must build a coalition at council in order to get his vision approved. Mind you, there appears to be very little in the way of vision for the city and his ideas appear and disappear with a blink of the eye (Expo 2017, mayor's taskforce on transportation etc). I hope the general public sees this lack of leadership and does not return him for a second term.

Well the ever-so-wise public elected him last time with his "zero means zero" talk, so my hopes aren't exactly high...