Larry O'Brien Will Have his Work Cut out For Him

I am glad that Mr O'Brien got elected as our new Mayor and I am sure he will do a good job. The biggest problem with this election was the fact that every incumbent got reelected. When you think about it Bob Chiarelli took the fall for the failings of this council. These guys like Alex Cullen and Clive Doucete are what the problem is with this city and until the people wake up things are never going to change.

To top that off now we have this woman Marianne Wilkinson elected in Kanata and she is already stirring the pot with the new Mayor. I got this little comment that she left on Larry's blog:

"Larry,
I did not vote for you, don't trust you and don't like what I have seen and heard so far (ie.in the campaign). I certainly do not believe that you will be able to keep taxes down and make Ottawa a better city. Prove me wrong!!
Marianne Wilkinson"

Nice way to start off with the new Mayor Marianne, I guess you will not be much help when it comes to trying to get spending under control. You people on the left don't give a damn for the people of this city as long as you can push your agenda. Even better than that you revel in making it difficult for fiscally responsible people tachieveve their objectives. I suspect you, Alex Cullen, Clive Doucette and the rest of the loony-toons on council are salivating at the opportunity to try and block the new Mayor at every turn.

The more things change in this city the more they stay the same........Marianne you had better watch it, I think Larry isdeligatorer and he may put you in charge of that big dump in Carp and let you rot out there with the rest of the leeches...I mean leachate.

All Things Ottawa on Life Support

Hi Everybody

Looks like this blog will be taken off life support in the next couple of weeks. I am moving back to Newfoundland with my Family and my daily interest will shift from all things Ottawa to all things Newfoundland which is my new blog by the way. Hopefully we can keep in touch and continue the fun we have been having.

Thanks to all who visit my site regularly and feel free to drop by one of my other blogs once in a while to let me know what is going on here in Ottawa. I have spent 10 of the last 14 years here so I will have a soft spot in my heart for the city. Hopefully the new mayor can reign in all the lefties that got elected and make this city one of the best in Canada.

Good Luck

Craig

Tomorrow Is The Big Day!!

For the first time in my life I am going to cast a vote based on principal in this election. Usually when I vote I weigh all the issues and pick the candidate who is closely aligned with my views. The candidate in my ward that fits that description is Jan Harder and I am sure she will be elected. I like Jan and despite not getting all the answers out of her that I would have liked during this election I hope she wins.

As for my vote I will be giving it to Catherine Gardener. I don't agree with her policies but I am going to vote for her anyway. Why would I do that when I am a conservative?

The other night I was driving past Walmart here in Barrhaven and who did I see sitting in her wheelchair on the corner by herself with one of her campaign signs in her hand? Catherine Gardener. At that moment I realized that some people will fight the good fight no matter the odds of them winning. One thing she has that is sorely lacking in many politicians is Principals. She stands up for what she believes and doesn't waver. When I saw her sitting there cold and wet I decided that I had to vote for her based on principal alone. Catherine thank you for restoring my faith in democracy.

Please Go Out and Cast Your Vote!!

Hi Everybody the time is getting short and we need to ensure we have our voices heard this election. Too many people consider municipal politics to be on the lower end of the political landscape. People need to understand that the level of government that has the biggest impact on their daily life and pocket book is the city.

Go out on Monday and cast your vote.....I don't care who you vote for just as long as you do it.

ahhh Munter wants Mayor Bob to Retract His Comment

Poor Alex got caught with a Bombardier lobbyist on his committee to review and advise him on the LRT project and he is crying foul saying that it was a personal attack. Well guess what Alex it is a personal attack and it is deserved. You personally decided to appoint this guy and he personally owns a company that lobbies on behalf of Bombardier so the Mayor is perfectly within his rights to personally point out those facts.

Munter Has a Serious Problem and No Ethics

How can we trust this guy? I am no fan of Mayor Bob but he did say something last night that was very troubling and is in today's Ottawa Sun. Alex has appointed John Banigan to his committee to review the LRT is pure stupidity. He plans to give a man who's company lobbies for Bombardier access to confidential and possibly proprietary information from the winning bid for the LRT. How is Munter going to spin his way out of this one?

The more we learn about Munter the more troubling he becomes. Please Larry O'Brien gain more in the polls so that the remaining Chiarelli supporters can jump on your bandwagon.

Is Andy Misleading the Public

I don't have a problem with Mr. Haydon using his political experience to his advantage in this election. I do however object to him exaggerating that experience. I got this off his website

7. TAXES - INEVITABLE BUT CONTROLLABLEWhile I was Mayor of Nepean, we were successful in becoming debt free with taxes consistent with the cost of living through a series of initiatives that drew raves from all across North America. Those same principles must be introduced at Ottawa City Hall.

Now if someone didn't know better like the majority of the younger voters in Ward 22 they would be led to believe Mr Haydon was responsible for the success the City of Nepean had in keeping taxes down. What he fails to mention in his literature is that he was only Mayor of Nepean for a week....A friggin week and he was not even elected. Ben Franklin assumed Mayor duties a week after Mr Haydon did.

For him to have the nerve to lead people to believe he had something to do with Nepeans record on taxes and spending is pure bull. He had nothing to do with it from what I can find out and he should not be taking credit for it.

And The Spending Spree Continues

Nice Bob! This election can't come fast enough for my liking. The longer it goes on and if Chiarelli keeps lagging behind we will see many more announcements like this. 100 new soccer fields over the next 4 years.

Now I don't know about you but wouldn't you need a shit load of land to build 100 soccer fields? Obviously they will have to be built on the outskirts of the city, maybe in the extreme south or in the west and east. I don't see too many places in Barrhaven to put a soccer field in the populated areas and if we keep growing the way we are there won't be any room for them.

Tomorrow he will be promising 50 new arenas. I think someone should check the fine print on those promises because I am sure there are clauses in there that call for a certain amount of federal and provincial funding to make these things a reality.

I can't wait for what Munter is going to promise next.......Maybe a 100 soccer fields and 10,000 daycare spaces. Get this election over with so that we can get back to getting gouged for every penny of out taxes.

Our Crime Rate Continues to Climb in My Opinion

This guy should get charged with Murder as well as those armed robberies. I am so sick of people getting off with these crimes and he should be made an example of. I guess the big story from this will turn out to be the actions of the police and how they forced the car to crash. Is this city going to the dogs or am I just out to lunch on this crime issue?

Looks Like Andy Haydon is Finally Getting Involved

I have been pretty hard on Mr. Haydon over the past couple of months because I was getting the impression that he was running in this campaign on his name alone. I felt it was an insult to the other candidates in this election that have been working their guts out to try and garner as much support as they can. Now it appears that he is getting more involved and that is a good thing. First I saw some signs going up around Barrhaven and then it came to my attention thanks to my friends at the Hall Monitor that he has a website.

Now don't get me wrong I still think he is the wrong man for the job and the fact that he fell asleep at two Community Association meetings during this campaign has nothing to do with it. Fact is I think he is out of touch with the young families in Ward 22 and there are candidates that are better suited to represent them. Tanya Thompson seems to have all the qualities that we need in a councillor and she has community ties like no other in this slate of candidates and a proven track record on community initiatives. I have seen her at a couple of debates and she seems to be very informed when answering questions and genuinely connects with the residents.

There are too many Liberals in this city council and for the sake of the City we need to get rid of as many of them as possible. That is why we should not elect Steve Desroches unless we want to get more of the same old crap coming from City Hall. If Munter happens to win this election we need as many like minded councillors to drive the agenda of the city for the next four years and god help us if we don't.

Susan Sherring Really Gets on My Nerves

After reading her last couple of articles October 19 and October 20 you would almost think she is getting ready to jump of the good ship Chiarelli and climb aboard Larry O'Brien. Yesterday she was giving praise to O'Brien as to how honest and charming he seems to be and has been giving credibility to O'Brien's campaign. Then as I read more of the article she continues to compliment him but then towards the end rightly points out that his campaign is short on details. I have to give her credit she managed to praise him and then cast doubt in the same breath. She praised him enough to make people take notice but didn't criticize enough to piss him off. Looks like she is positioning herself to be in good favor with Larry just in case her hero Bob loses.

Now on the other hand she has been a loyal supporter of Mayor Bob or at least that is how it appears to me and other Lefties like Alex Cullen. That is why it puzzles me she is not jumping on the Munter band wagon. Maybe she is trying to give the hint to Chiarelli supporters and no doubt her biggest fans that if it appears Bob is going to lose then maybe they should vote for Larry to save the City from Munter Madness. What ever here reasoning it is obvious to me that she may be falling under the charms of Larry O'Brien and that can mean good news for Larry especially if she totally abandons Bob and starts to show Larry in a more favorable light.

As Usual Someone Is Telling Lies in the Mayoral Race

The new annual inflation numbers came out today and folks they are looking pretty good. At 0.7% it is the lowest the annual rate has been in 2 1/2 years. I also heard it reported this morning that the inflation rate for the city of Ottawa was a meager 0.1%. So here in lies the problem.

Bob Chiarelli says that he will fight to keep the tax increase at 1.8 which he says is below the rate of inflation. Excuse me Bob where do you get that number? That was the projected rate but it is obvious that it is way too high. Are you going to adjust your number?

Now Alex Munter also says he will keep tax hikes at the rate of inflation...What number is he going to use and can he deliver? I think we should ask him.

Now Mr O'Brien says that he won't raise taxes at all. Everybody thinks he is crazy, but keep this in mind if we use the rate of the City of Ottawa which is at 0.1% then effectively O'Brien is right and that increase in basically nothing.

So who is telling the truth and what numbers are they going to use to calculate the annual rate of inflation, the National Rate, Provincial Rate or the Municipal Rate...Either way we need to know or are they going to add them all together which is what seems to happen to us every year?


This is an email I sent to all three of the Mayor candidates and I am awaiting their answer.


I have seen all of your promises related to Property Tax Increases and the Annual Rate of Inflation. I would like to get some clarification on your positions. Today the annual rate was the lowest it has been in 2 1/2 years at 0.7%. Does that mean that any tax increase would be in that area?

I read a story that Mr Chiarelli promised that any increase would be 1.8% and that is below the rate of inflation. What rate are you talking about Mr Chiarelli?

It was also reported this morning that the City of Ottawa inflation rate was at 0.1% which is basically no increase and that would bolster Mr O'Brien's promise not to raise taxes at all. How do all three of you respond to this?

It seems that someone is not telling the truth about how much taxes should rise and we deserve to know what inflation rate you are going to use to justify taking more money out of the pockets of tax payers.