OTTAWA'S CITY COUNCILLORS HAVE HAD SIX MONTHS TO PROVE THEMSELVES; CITY HALL COLUMNIST SUSAN SHERRING HAS TAKEN THEIR MEASURE Sunday, May 30, 2004 Tag: 0405301452 Edition: Final Section: Comment Length: 262 lines Page: C22 Column: City Hall BY SUSAN SHERRING, OTTAWA SUN It's been almost six months to the day that Ottawa Mayor Bob Chiarelli and his 21 newly elected councillors took the oath of office. It was a time of great hope for this motley mix of experience and naivete, of extreme- left and far-right councillors and some in between. Three years into amalgamation, this new council was still facing more harmonization bylaws, extreme budget woes, the release of the highly anticipated Universal Program Review and the challenge of sticking to some of those lofty campaign pledges they'd made on the election trail. For many of these councillors, those promises included a pledge to hold the line on taxes, despite some severe warning signals that bringing in a 0% tax freeze would mean swallowing some very tough medicine. On top of their budgetary problems, the new council would face several extremely challenging problems, not the least of which was the very expensive exit of city manager Bruce Thom, hand-picked by Claude Bennett and the transition board. His ironclad contract cost city taxpayers a whopping $800,000 and fueled the flame of discontent among taxpayers who believe their dollars aren't being well spent. With the six-month anniversary upon us, it's time to assess the performance of the city's municipal leaders. OTTAWA MAYOR BOB CHIARELLI: B MINUS. Fortunately for Chiarelli, he recently scored a major coup with the announcement of $400 million worth of funding from the federal and provincial governments for light rail, one of his pet projects. Of course, the city is also having to commit $200 million. But it appears that the mayor's Tory bashing and his strong Liberal ties are finally paying off. On the municipal campaign trail last year, Chiarelli -- proving to be politically astute -- refused to commit himself to a tax freeze, saying only that he would direct staff to bring in a budget at 0%. Weeks into the new term, following the release of the drastic Universal Program Review, he called for a 3% increase, and came close to orchestrating just that. But that 3% rose to almost 4% when he and council lent a helping hand to city renters. It hasn't been an easy time for Chiarelli. He's lost the support of former chief-of-staff Brendan McGuinty (brother of both Premier Dalton and David, who's running in the federal riding of Ottawa South). Without McGuinty, it appears several projects are on shaky ground. The mayor recently came under heavy criticism for his role in the Hydro Ottawa fiasco and his role in the backroom deals. Chiarelli continues to butt heads with his more right-leaning councillors, even dropping the F-bomb on Rideau Coun. Glenn Brooks. The mayor didn't seem to suffer from his potty mouth -- in fact, it seems there were plenty of people who were glad to see he was actually quite human. GLOUCESTER-SOUTHGATE COUN. DIANE DEANS: C PLUS. Deans got off to a rocky start on this council. Even when she was being sworn in, Deans had her eye on the federal riding of Ottawa South, something she failed to mention when she was seeking her constituents' municipal support. She suffered through the ensuing controversy, standing firm to keep her City Hall paycheque while she campaigned for the nomination. In the end, Deans lost the nomination to David McGuinty. She did manage to fend off efforts to delay the $7.7-million library in her ward, but she has some fences to mend if she wants to regain the mayor's support. KANATA COUN. PEGGY FELTMATE: B MINUS. Probably council's most sincere councillor, the very likable Feltmate struggled during the budget process between honouring her commitment during the campaign to hold the line on taxes and doing what her conscience told her to do. The result wasn't always a clearly well-thought out vote made with conviction. She suffers from having big shoes to fill, following on the heels of the well-liked and well-connected Alex Munter. Though her oratory skills need some work, Feltmate shows much promise as a new councillor. WEST CARLETON COUN. ELI EL-CHANTIRY: B PLUS. Giving Feltmate a run for her money in the sincerity department, El-Chantiry is proving to be one of council's brightest lights. A straight-shooter, he appears to absolutely understand he was elected to represent the interests of both his rural constituents and the city as a whole. A solid right-wing voter, El-Chantiry won't be played by the mayor's office and clearly casts each vote with the taxpayer in mind. Easily frustrated by the grandstanding around city council, he doesn't speak for the sake of hearing his own voice, and tires easily of others who do. INNES COUN. RAINER BLOESS: A MINUS. One of council's best-liked city councillors, Bloess continues to be a thorn in the side of Mayor Bob Chiarelli -- and that's a good thing. A strong community representative, Bloess understands the needs of his ward, and balances those with his vision for the city. He's well-respected among his council colleagues -- and the City Hall media corps for his understanding of their needs. While considered to be on the right of council, Bloess looks at each issue on its own merit and votes accordingly. KNOXDALE-MERIVALE COUN. GORD HUNTER: B. Hunter appears to have the art of being a solid city councillor down to a fine science. He works hard, and is one of the very few who you'll find answering his own phone, and dealing firsthand with disgruntled residents. They in turn praise his devotion to their interests, and appreciate his accessibility. While he calls himself a Liberal, his voting record and his anti-arts funding stance, belies the colour red. A strong councillor, he's proof positive there should never be a limit on the number of terms one politician can serve. ALTA VISTA COUN. PETER HUME: A MINUS. Hume has the amazing capability of sizing up a situation and understanding the pros and cons of it almost immediately. And that makes him a valued asset around the council table, where his fellow colleagues aren't always as quick to catch on. In the past, he appeared to be kowtowing the whims and demands of the mayor's office, but now he seems to be breaking free, wanting to make his own mark. That was noticeable most recently during the debate over Hydro Ottawa. While he'd love to be mayor, Hume will have to work harder at gaining a larger profile outside of his ward. RIVER COUN. MARIA MCRAE: B PLUS. A real dynamo, McRae will solve the problems of the world if she doesn't collapse from exhaustion first. She'll have to slow down and set some priorities if she wants to forge ahead and take on a leadership role. And it wouldn't hurt to tone down some of her enthusiasm if it comes across as criticism. A strong constituency politician, McRae is proving a councillor not to be messed with. Though she almost always agrees with the right-thinking side of council, she gets her back up at being labeled a follower under Jan Harder's leadership. Definitely one to watch. ORLEANS COUN. HERB KRELING: B MINUS. Kreling goes about his city business quietly, sometimes so quietly it's unclear what his priorities for the city really are. As head of the Ottawa Police Services Board, he got caught off-guard when his fellow councillors rejected the police budget. We can only assume, as other councillors tell us, that Kreling refused not only to lobby beforehand on behalf of the board, but was uninterested in debating the issues during the lead-up to the budget. But he has the respect of his colleagues around the council chamber, who consider him an intelligent straight-shooter. CUMBERLAND COUN. ROB JELLETT: C PLUS. Seems Jellett might be suffering under the weight of the great expectations that surrounded his joining council. There are some who believe he was the brains behind former Cumberland councillor Phil McNeely, and assumed he would quickly take a shining and leading role around the council table given his years as the councillor's assistant. Though reliable and hardworking, he's clearly not ready to get off the fence quite yet. BELL-SOUTH NEPEAN COUN. JAN HARDER: A MINUS. Harder worked hard in the days and weeks before the budget process, acting as the unofficial leader of the right-wing group of councillors determined to work toward a 0% tax increase. While often criticized for not voting for all the cuts on the budget table, she and her gang came up with many of their own. She prides herself for speaking her mind, but should learn there's no shame in actually thinking before you speak. If she really hopes to run for the mayor's chair in 2006, she'll have to curry some favour among downtown voters. RIDEAU-VANIER COUN. GEORGES BEDARD: A MINUS. Bedard is quickly earning a reputation as a thoughtful councillor, who leans to the left, but doesn't hesitate to see the other side of the issue and sometimes finds himself voting with the right. His careful consideration of the issues is admirable, and he's eloquent -- in both official languages -- around the council table. A strong defender of arts, culture and heritage, Bedard is the star among the rookies elected last year. Perhaps his stint as a city councillor many years ago, coupled with his strong community ties and government work all combine to make him the perfect candidate for mayor next time around. RIDEAU-ROCKCLIFFE COUN. JACQUES LEGENDRE: C PLUS. Everyone knows that Legendre is a bright guy. But his fellow councillors are rightfully growing weary of Legendre wasting everyone's time around council, nit-picking over details that should have been discussed with staff long before council. He gets extra points for holding his own against Mayor Chiarelli, and suffered for it, losing his spot on the Ottawa Police Services Board. Very likable, Legendre works hard in his ward and maintains a strong citywide interest. CAPITAL COUN. CLIVE DOUCET: D PLUS. Clearly Doucet is well-liked in his own downtown ward, since he was just re-elected. We just wish Doucet would show a little bit of interest in the rest of the city -- and not just the part of it that effects his ward. The engineer behind one of the most hurtful motions this term, Doucet suggested rural councillors -- whose residents didn't pay for urban transit -- shouldn't be allowed to vote on it. No wonder there's such angst among rural residents -- and it's the likes of Doucet that are fueling those angry flames of separation. KITCHISSIPPI COUN. SHAWN LITTLE: C. Little continues to struggle this term as his legal battle continues and legal bills continue to mount. We're still hopeful his fellow councillors will do the right thing, pay off the bills they forced him to incur and move on and away from the ugly episode. Only then can we determine what contribution Little can make to his ward and to the city as a whole. He still needs to accept that his attendance record is under a microscope -- and make more of an effort not to miss a meeting, or exit early, as he did just last week as council debated the all-important corporate restructuring. BASELINE COUN. RICK CHIARELLI: D. Here's a councillor who's a little hard to figure out. He chaired the Universal Review Program committee and is now chairing the Long Range Financial Planning committee. Despite that, he seems to be unclear about where he stands on many of the important issues, perhaps waiting to see which way the wind is blowing. He failed the community miserably during the debate over closing down library branches, leaving his fellow councillors with no solid direction from the library board he chairs. He hasn't made it a secret he'd love to be mayor, but it's also no secret that he doesn't stand a chance. BAY COUN. ALEX CULLEN: B. Cullen is quite likely council's hardest-working politician and its best-informed. He goes through city documents with a fine-toothed comb, understanding the issues and bringing his concerns to the floor of council. All of this is often wasted, since he seems to forget policy ideas are only as good as the amount of support you can gather. However, despite the time he wastes around council, he remains its much-needed watch dog. OSGOODE COUN. DOUG THOMPSON: B. Thompson comes across as one of the most solid politicians around, and gets points here for his support of Shawn Little's legal battles. He represents his rural residents well and protected their interests during the budget deliberations. Part of Jan Harder's group, which vowed to hold the line on taxes, Thompson quietly goes about his work without any headline hunting. His no nonsense approach to getting things done is a bonus for all Ottawa citizens. SOMERSET COUN. DIANE HOLMES: B MINUS. There's something very likable about Holmes. Maybe it's her passion for Ottawa (at least the downtown part of it). She's a hard-worker who, unlike some of the others, has a vision for the city, albeit an often expensive vision. She floundered somewhat during the debate over 150 Elgin St., and still wear blinders when it comes to the needs of the suburbs. Councillors say the return politician has mellowed since her last stint as a municipal politician several years ago, appearing far more willing to work with her fellow councillors than simply berate them. BEACON HILL-CYRVILLE MICHEL BELLEMARE: C MINUS. We can presume Bellemare is doing something right. He keeps getting elected, despite his low profile, which he seems happy to maintain. A bit of an enigma with both the City Hall media and his colleagues, Bellemare has a good attendance record, but doesn't spend a lot of time at City Hall. He demonstrates few passions at council, though he's well-versed in his arguments against light rail, one of Mayor Chiarelli's favourite projects. He was chair of the city's audit committee last term, but this time around, appears content with simply showing up to other people's meetings. RIDEAU COUN. GLENN BROOKS: D. Will someone tell Brooks the fight is over and amalgamation is here to stay? Time and energy is being wasted as Brooks allows the discontent in the rural areas to fester, instead of focusing in on some of the issues that need to be addressed. His residents would surely thank him if he worked hard around the council table to bring their concerns to the forefront, instead of his rambling speeches, which few pay attention to and fewer still understand. RICHMOND COUN. JANET STAVINGA: B MINUS. No one doubts Stavinga's sincerity. She's a hardworking, dedicated councillor who aims to please. But she diminishes her strength by continually getting weepy during most any kind of council debate -- most recently during the in-camera debate over restructuring. Go figure. A solid Mayor Chiarelli supporter, there's no doubt her heart is in the right place, and her residents clearly appreciate that. She'll have to watch her back this term, with some colleagues suggesting (behind her back) that she can't control the debate during the all-important transportation committee meetings that she chairs. |